This is a list of the bird species recorded of French Southern and Antarctic Lands. The avifauna of French Southern and Antarctic Lands include a total of 130 species.
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 French Southern and Antarctic Lands.
The following tag has been used to mark accidental species.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in French Southern and Antarctic Lands. (I) Introduced - a species introduced to French Southern and Antarctic Lands as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
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.
Amsterdam duck, Mareca marecula (E) extinct Eaton's pintail, Anas georgica (E)
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 and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.
Red junglefowl, Gallus gallus (I)
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.
Greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus
Pigeons and doves Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Malagasy turtle-dove, Nesoenas picturatus Zebra dove, Geopelia striata (I)
Cuckoos Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes uckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.
Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus (A)
Sheathbills Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Chionididae The sheathbills are scavengers of the Antarctic regions. They have white plumage and look plump and dove-like but are believed to be similar to the ancestors of the modern gulls and terns.
Black-faced sheathbill, Chionis minor
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 Blacksmith lapwing, Vanellus armatus (A) Greater sand-plover, Charadrius leschenaultii Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula
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 Eurasian curlew, Numenius arquata Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Red knot, Calidris canutus Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea Sanderling, Calidris alba Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos Gray-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia
Buttonquails Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Turnicidae
The buttonquails are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young.
Madagascar buttonquail, Turnix nigricollis
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.
Black-winged pratincole, Glareola nordmanni (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.
Chilean skua, Stercorarius chilensis (A) South polar skua, Stercorarius maccormicki Brown skua, Stercorarius antarctica Long-tailed jaeger, Stercorarius longicaudus (A)
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.
Kelp gull, Larus dominicanus Brown noddy, Anous stolidus White tern, Gygis alba Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus Bridled tern, Onychoprion anaethetus Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea Antarctic tern, Sterna vittata Kerguelen tern, Sterna virgata Great crested tern, Thalasseus bergii Lesser crested tern, Thalasseus bengalensis
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-billed tropicbird, Phaethon aethereus Red-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
Penguins Order: SphenisciformesFamily: Spheniscidae
The penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater.
King penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus Emperor penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri Adelie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae Gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua Chinstrap penguin, Pygoscelis antarctica Macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus Royal penguin, Eudyptes schlegeli (A) Southern rockhopper penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome Moseley's rockhopper penguin, Eudyptes moseleyi
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.
Yellow-nosed albatross, Thalassarche chlororhynchos Grey-headed albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma White-capped albatross, Thalassarche cauta Salvin's albatross, Thalassarche salvini Black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris Sooty albatross, Phoebetria fusca Light-mantled albatross, Phoebetria palpebrata Royal albatross, Diomedea epomophora Wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans
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 Grey-backed storm-petrel, Garrodia nereis White-faced storm-petrel, Pelagodroma marina (Ex) White-bellied storm-petrel, Fregetta grallaria Black-bellied storm-petrel, Fregetta tropica
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.
Southern giant-petrel, Macronectes giganteus Northern giant-petrel, Macronectes halli Southern fulmar, Fulmarus glacialoides (A) Antarctic petrel, Thalassoica antarctica (A) Cape petrel, Daption capense Snow petrel, Pagodroma nivea Kerguelen petrel, Aphrodroma brevirostris Mascarene petrel, Pseudobulweria aterrima Great-winged petrel, Pterodroma macroptera Soft-plumaged petrel, Pterodroma mollis Barau's petrel, Pterodroma baraui (A) White-headed petrel, Pterodroma lessonii Juan Fernandez petrel, Pterodroma externa (A) Blue petrel, Halobaena caerulea Fairy prion, Pachyptila turtur Broad-billed prion, Pachyptila vittata Salvin's prion, Pachyptila salvini MacGillivray's prion, Pachyptila macgillivrayi (Extirpated) Antarctic prion, Pachyptila desolata Slender-billed prion, Pachyptila belcheri Fulmar prion, Pachyptila crassirostris Gray petrel, Procellaria cinerea White-chinned petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis Cory's shearwater, Calonectris diomedea Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacifica (A) Flesh-footed shearwater, Ardenna carneipes Great shearwater, Ardenna gravis (A) Sooty shearwater, Ardenna grisea Rapa shearwater, Puffinus myrtae Little shearwater, Puffinus assimilis Subantarctic shearwater, Puffinus elegans Tropical shearwater, Puffinus bailloni Common diving-petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix South Georgia diving-petrel, Pelecanoides georgicus Jouanin's petrel, Bulweria fallax
Storks Order: CiconiiformesFamily: Ciconiidae
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.
White stork, Ciconia ciconia (A)
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 colored 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-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.
Cape gannet, Morus capensis (A) Australasian gannet, Morus serrator Masked booby, Sula dactylatra Red-footed booby, Sula sula Brown booby, Sula leucogaster
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.
Imperial cormorant, Leucocarbo atriceps Crozet shag, Leucocarbo melanogenis Kerguelen shag, Leucocarbo verrucosus (E)
Herons, egrets, and bitterns Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Ardeidae