This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Marshall Islands. The avifauna of the Marshall Islands include a total of 109 species, of which 3 have been introduced by humans.
This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for the Marshall Islands.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in the Marshall Islands (I) Introduced - a species introduced to the Marshall Islands as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions (Ex) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in the Marshall Islands although populations exist elsewhere
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.
Snow goose, Anser caerulescens (A) Cackling goose, Branta hutchinsii (A) Garganey, Spatula querquedula (A) Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope (A) Northern pintail, Anas acuta Green-winged teal, Anas crecca (A) Canvasback, Aythya valisineria (A) Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula (A)
Pheasants, grouse, and allies Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowls, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls, grouse, ptarmigan, and junglefowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.
Red junglefowl, Gallus gallus (I)
Pigeons and doves Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Kosrae fruit-dove, Ptilinopus hernsheimi Micronesian imperial-pigeon, Ducula oceanica
Cuckoos Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.
Long-tailed koel, Urodynamis taitensis
Swifts Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Apodidae
Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.
Pacific swift, Apus pacificus
Rails, gallinules, and coots Order: GruiformesFamily: Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.
White-browed crake, Poliolimnas cinereus (A)
Stilts and avocets Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.
Black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus (A) Pied stilt, Himantopus leucocephalus (A) Black-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus (A)
Plovers and lapwings Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Charadriidae
The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water.
Black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva Lesser sand-plover, Charadrius mongolus Greater sand-plover, Charadrius leschenaultii (A) Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula (A) Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus (A)
Sandpipers and allies Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.
Bristle-thighed curlew, Numenius tahitiensis Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa Hudsonian godwit, Limosa haemastica (A) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Red knot, Calidris canutus (A) Ruff, Calidris pugnax (A) Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (A) Red-necked stint, Calidris ruficollis (A) Sanderling, Calidris alba Dunlin, Calidris alpina (A) Little stint, Calidris minuta (A) Buff-breasted sandpiper, Calidris subruficollis (A) Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos Long-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus (A) Latham's snipe, Gallinago hardwickii (A) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago (A) Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularia (A) Gray-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes Wandering tattler, Tringa incanus Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca (A) Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia (A) Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (A) Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis (A) Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola
Pratincoles and coursers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Glareolidae
Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long pointed bills which curve downwards.
Oriental pratincole, Glareola maldivarum (A)
Skuas and jaegers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Stercorariidae
The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants.
Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus
Gulls, terns, and skimmers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.
Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla (A) Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan (A) Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis (A) Brown noddy, Anous stolidus Black noddy, Anous minutus Blue-gray noddy, Anous ceruleus White tern, Gygis alba Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus Gray-backed tern, Onychoprion lunatus Bridled tern, Onychoprion anaethetus (A) Little tern, Sternula albifrons Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica (A) White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus (A) Black-naped tern, Sterna sumatrana Common tern, Sterna hirundo Great crested tern, Thalasseus bergii
Tropicbirds Order: PhaethontiformesFamily: Phaethontidae
Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.
White-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon lepturus Red-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
Albatrosses Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Diomedeidae
The albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses from the genus Diomedea have the largest wingspans of any extant birds.
Laysan albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis Black-footed albatross, Phoebastria nigripes Short-tailed albatross, Phoebastria albatrus
Southern storm-petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Oceanitidae
The southern-storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Wilson's storm-petrel, Oceanites oceanicus
Northern storm-petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Hydrobatidae
The northern storm-petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Leach's storm-petrel, Hydrobates leucorhous Band-rumped storm-petrel, Hydrobates castro
Shearwaters and petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Procellariidae
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.
Kermadec petrel, Pterodroma neglecta Providence petrel, Pterodroma solandri Mottled petrel, Pterodroma inexpectata Juan Fernandez petrel, Pterodroma externa Bonin petrel, Pterodroma hypoleuca Black-winged petrel, Pterodroma nigripennis Cook's petrel, Pterodroma cookii Stejneger's petrel, Pterodroma longirostris Bulwer's petrel, Bulweria bulwerii Tahiti petrel, Pseudobulweria rostrata Streaked shearwater, Calonectris leucomelas Flesh-footed shearwater, Ardenna carneipes Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacificus Buller's shearwater, Ardenna bulleri Sooty shearwater, Ardenna griseus Short-tailed shearwater, Ardenna tenuirostris Christmas shearwater, Puffinus nativitatis Tropical shearwater, Puffinus bailloni
Frigatebirds Order: SuliformesFamily: Fregatidae
Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black and white or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have coloured inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.
Lesser frigatebird, Fregata ariel Great frigatebird, Fregata minor
Boobies and gannets Order: SuliformesFamily: Sulidae
The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.
Masked booby, Sula dactylatra Brown booby, Sula leucogaster Red-footed booby, Sula sula
Herons, egrets, and bitterns Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons, and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.
Pacific reef-heron, Egretta sacra Cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis
Owls Order: StrigiformesFamily: Strigidae
The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.
Short-eared owl, Asio flammeus
Kingfishers Order: CoraciiformesFamily: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.
Sacred kingfisher, Todirhamphus sanctus
Swallows