This is a list of birds of the United States Minor Outlying Islands. This area consists of Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean and Navassa Island in the Caribbean Sea.
The two areas between them have recorded 236 species. Of them, 24 have been recorded at both Navassa Island and at least one of the Pacific Ocean entities and 49 have been found only on Navassa Island. Of the 236, 123 are rare or accidental at one or both of the areas. Three species are endemic, one is extinct, two have been extirpated, and nine were introduced by humans.
The Wake Island rail was a species endemic to Wake Island, but it is now extinct. The Laysan duck is endemic to the Northwest Hawaiian Islands (which includes Midway Atoll — Midway Atoll is part of the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, not the state of Hawaii). The endemic and critically endangered Nihoa finch was extirpated from Midway Atoll.
This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (English and scientific names) are those of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2019 edition.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 15, 2019.
The following tags are used to designate some species. Unless noted otherwise, the species has been recorded only in the Pacific Ocean entities.
(A) Accidental – occurrence based on one or two (rarely more) records and unlikely to occur regularly (E) Extinct – a species which no longer exists (Ex) Extirpated – a species which no longer occurs in this list's area, but other populations still exist elsewhere (I) Introduced – a species established solely as result of direct or indirect human intervention (En) Endemic – a native species found only in this list's area (Nav) Navassa – a species recorded only on Navassa Island (Both) Both – a species recorded in both a Pacific Ocean entity and Navassa Island
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, bills which are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils.
Emperor goose, Anser canagica (A) Snow goose, Anser caerulescens (A) Greater white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons (A) Brant, Branta bernicla (A) Cackling goose, Branta hutchinsii Tundra swan, Cygnus columbianus (A) Garganey, Spatula querquedula Blue-winged teal, Spatula discors (Both) (A – Pacific islands) Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata Gadwall, Mareca strepera (A) Falcated duck, Mareca falcata (A) Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope (A) American wigeon, Mareca americana (Both) (A – Navassa) Laysan duck, Anas laysanensis (I) (The Laysan duck was introduced to Midway Atoll, but the native population is considered endemic the state of Hawaii.) Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (A) Northern pintail, Anas acuta Green-winged teal, Anas crecca (A) Canvasback, Aythya valisineria (A) Redhead, Aythya americana (A) Common pochard, Aythya ferina (A) Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula (A) Greater scaup, Aythya marila (A) Lesser scaup, Aythya affinis (A) Harlequin duck, Histrionicus histrionicus (A) Black scoter, Melanitta americana (A) Long-tailed duck, Clangula hyemalis (A) Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola (A) Common goldeneye, Bucephala clangula (A) Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator (A)
Pigeons and doves Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. They feed on seeds, fruit, and plants. Unlike most other birds, the doves and pigeons produce "crop milk," which is secreted by a sloughing of fluid-filled cells from the lining of the crop. Both sexes produce this highly nutritious substance to feed to the young.
Rock pigeon, Columba livia (I) Scaly-naped pigeon, Patagioenas squamosa (Nav) White-crowned pigeon, Patagioenas leucocephala (Nav) Plain pigeon, Patagioenas inornata (Nav) Common ground dove, Columbina passerina (Nav) White-winged dove, Zenaida asiatica (Nav) Mourning dove, Zenaida macroura (A)
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.
Smooth-billed ani, Crotophaga ani (Nav) Yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus (Nav) Mangrove cuckoo, Coccyzus minor (Nav) Long-tailed koel, Urodynamis tailtensis Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus (A) Oriental cuckoo, Cuculus optatus (A)
Nightjars and allies Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Caprimulgidae
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically colored to resemble bark or leaves.
Common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor (Nav) (A) Antillean nighthawk, Chordeiles gundlachii (A) Chuck-will's-widow, Antrostomus carolinensis (Nav) (A)
Swifts Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Apodidae
The 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.
Chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica (Nav) (A) Pacific swift, Apus pacificus (A)
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. The most typical family members occupy 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.
Wake Island rail, Gallirallus wakensis (Ex) (E) Eurasian moorhen, Gallinula chloropus (A) Common gallinule, Gallinula galeata (Nav) Hawaiian coot, Fulica alai (A) Laysan rail, Zapornia palmeri (E)
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) 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 (A) Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva Lesser sand-plover, Charadrius mongolus (A) Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula (A) Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus (A) Little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius (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. Different lengths of legs and bills enable 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 (A) Far Eastern curlew, Numenius madagascariensis (A) Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica (A) Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa (A) Marbled godwit, Limosa fedoa (A) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres (Both) Red knot, Calidris canutus (A) Ruff, Calidris pugnax (A) Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata Long-toed stint, Calidris subminuta (A) Sanderling, Calidris alba (Both) Dunlin, Calidris alpina Baird's sandpiper, Calidris bairdii (A) Little stint, Calidris minuta (A) Buff-breasted sandpiper, Calidris subruficollis (A) Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos (A) Western sandpiper, Calidris mauri (A) Short-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus (A) Long-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus (A) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata (A) Red-necked phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus (A) Red phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularius (A) Solitary sandpiper, Tringa solitaria (Nav) (A) Gray-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes (A) Wandering tattler, Tringa incana Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (A) Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis (A) Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola (A)
Skuas and jaegers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Stercorariidae
Skuas are in general medium to large birds, typically with gray or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They have longish bills with hooked tips and webbed feet with sharp claws. They look like large dark gulls, but have a fleshy cere above the upper mandible. They are strong, acrobatic fliers.
Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus (Both)
Auks, murres, and puffins Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Alcidae
Alcids are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colors, their upright posture, and some of their habits. However, they are only distantly related to the penguins and are able to fly. Auks live on the open sea, only deliberately coming ashore to nest.
Japanese murrelet, Synthliboramphus wumizusume (A) Parakeet auklet, Aethia psittacula (A) Horned puffin, Fratercula corniculata (A) Tufted puffin, Fratercula cirrhata (A)
Gulls, terns, and skimmers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds and includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically gray 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. Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish.
Black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla (A) Bonaparte's gull, Chroicocephalus philadelphia (Both) (A – Pacific islands) Silver gull, Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (A) Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus (A) Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla (A) Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan (A) Common gull, Larus canus (A) Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis (A) Western gull, Larus occidentalis (A) Herring gull, Larus argentatus (A) Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus (A) Slaty-backed gull, Larus schistisagus (A) Glaucous-winged gull, Larus glaucescens (A) Glaucous gull, Larus hyperboreus (A) Brown noddy, Anous stolidus (Both) Black noddy, Anous minutus (Both) Blue-gray noddy, Anous ceruleus White tern, Gygis alba Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus (Both) Gray-backed tern, Onychoprion lunatus Bridled tern, Onychoprion anaethetus (Nav) Little tern, Sternula albifrons Least tern, Sternula antillarum (Both) Black tern, Chlidonias niger (A) White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus (A)