This is a list of the bird species recorded in Providencia, a mountainous island in Colombia. The avifauna of Providencia included a total of 157 species, according to Bird Checklists of the World as of July 2022.
This list is presented in the taxonomic sequence of the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds, 7th edition through the 63rd Supplement, published by the American Ornithological Society (AOS). Common and scientific names are also those of the Check-list, except that the common names of families are from the Clements taxonomy because the AOS list does not include them.
The following tag has been used to highlight accidental species.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Providencia
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.
Blue-winged teal, Spatula discors Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris (A) Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator (A) Ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis (A)
Flamingos Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.
American flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber
Pigeons and doves Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
White-crowned pigeon, Patagioenas leucocephala (A) Common ground dove, Columbina passerina Caribbean dove, Leptotila jamaicensis White-winged dove, Zenaida asiatica
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.
Smooth-billed ani, Crotophaga ani (A) Yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus (A) Mangrove cuckoo, Coccyzus minor (A) Black-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus (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 camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.
Common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor (A) Chuck-will's-widow, Antrostomus carolinensis (A)
Swifts Order: ApodiformesFamily: 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.
Chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica (A)
Hummingbirds Order: ApodiformesFamily: Trochilidae
Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards.
Green-breasted mango, Anthracothorax prevostii
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.
Sora, Porzana carolina Common gallinule, Gallinula galeata American coot, Fulica americana Purple gallinule, Porphyrio martinica
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-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus American avocet, Recurvirostra americana (A)
Oystercatchers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae
The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
American oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus
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 Wilson's plover, Charadrius wilsonia Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus
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.
Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Red knot, Calidris canutus Sanderling, Calidris alba Baird's sandpiper, Calidris bairdii Least sandpiper, Calidris minutilla White-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos Semipalmated sandpiper, Calidris pusilla Western sandpiper, Calidris mauri Short-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus Wilson's snipe, Gallinago delicata Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularia (A) Solitary sandpiper, Tringa solitaria Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca Willet, Tringa semipalmata Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes
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 Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus (A)
Gulls, terns, and skimmers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds and includes gulls, kittiwakes, terns, and skimmers. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have 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 Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan Brown noddy, Anous stolidus Least tern, Sternula antillarum Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia Black tern, Chlidonias niger Common tern, Sterna hirundo Forster's tern, Sterna forsteri (A) Royal tern, Thalasseus maximus Sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis Elegant tern, Thalasseus elegans
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.
Red-billed tropicbird, Phaethon aethereus
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.
Sargasso shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri
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.
Magnificent frigatebird, Fregata magnificens
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 (A)
Cormorants and shags Order: SuliformesFamily: Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white, and a few being colourful.
Double-crested cormorant, Nannopterum auritum (A)
Pelicans Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Pelecanidae
Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes.
American white pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos (A) Brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis (A)
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.
Great blue heron, Ardea herodias Great egret, Ardea alba (A) Snowy egret, Egretta thula Little blue heron, Egretta caerulea Tricolored heron, Egretta tricolor Cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis Green heron, Butorides virescens Striated heron, Butorides striata (A) Yellow-crowned night-heron, Nyctanassa violacea
Ibises and spoonbills Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.
White ibis, Eudocimus albus Glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus (A)
New World vultures Order: CathartiformesFamily: Cathartidae
The New World vultures are not closely related to Old World vultures, but superficially resemble them because of convergent evolution. Like the Old World vultures, they are scavengers. However, unlike Old World vultures, which find carcasses by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell with which they locate carrion.
Turkey vulture, Cathartes aura
Osprey Order: AccipitriformesFamily: Pandionidae
The family Pandionidae contains only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
Hawks, eagles, and kites Order: AccipitriformesFamily: Accipitridae
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight.
Mississippi kite, Ictinia mississippiensis Swainson's hawk, Buteo swainsoni
Kingfishers Order: CoraciiformesFamily: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.
Belted kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon (A)
Woodpeckers Order: PiciformesFamily: Picidae