This article lists the species of bird found in Lakshadweep. 134 species of birds have been sighted on the islands. The state bird of Lakshadweep is the brown noddy. This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of the IOC World Bird List, version 11.2. This list also uses British English throughout. Any bird names or other wording follows that convention.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fit within any of these categories.
(A) Accidental - also known as a rarity, it refers to a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Lakshadweep - typically less than ten confirmed records (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Lakshadweep as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions.
Ducks, geese and swans Order: Anseriformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsRuddy shelduckTadorna ferrugineaGarganeySpatula querquedulaNorthern pintailAnas acutaEurasian tealAnas creccaTufted duckAythya fuligula
Pigeons and doves Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. +Common nameBinomialCommentsRock doveColumba livia(I)Oriental turtle doveStreptopelia orientalis
Cuckoos Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Many are brood parasites. Common nameBinomialCommentsJacobin cuckooClamator jacobinusAsian koelEudynamys scolopaceusGrey-bellied cuckooCacomantis passerinusCommon cuckooCuculus canorus
Nightjars Order: Caprimulgiformes Family: 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 nameBinomialCommentsEuropean nightjarCaprimulgus europaeus(A)
Swifts Order: Apodiformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsCommon swiftApus apusLittle swiftApus affinis
Rails, crakes and coots Order: Gruiformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsEurasian moorhenGallina chloropusEurasian cootFulica atraWatercockGallicrex cinereaWhite-breasted waterhenAmaurornis phoenicurusBaillon's crakeZapornia pusilla
Stilts and avocets Order: Charadriiformes Family: 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. Common nameBinomialCommentsBlack-winged stiltHimantopus himantopus
Plovers Order: Charadriiformes Family: 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. Common nameBinomialCommentsPacific golden ploverPluvialis fulvaGrey ploverPluvialis squatarolaVulnerableCaspian ploverAnarhynchus asiaticus(A)Kentish ploverCharadrius alexandrinusSiberian sand ploverCharadrius mongolusEndangeredTibetan sand ploverCharadrius atrifronsGreater sand ploverCharadrius leschenaultii
Sandpipers and snipes Order: Charadriiformes Family: 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. Common nameBinomialCommentsEurasian whimbrelNumenius phaeopusEurasian curlewNumenius arquataNear-threatenedBar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNear-threatenedBlack-tailed godwitLimosa limosaNear-threatenedRuddy turnstoneArenaria interpresNear-threatenedCurlew sandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVulnerableTemminck's stintCalidris temminckiiSanderlingCalidris albaDunlinCalidris alpinaNear-threatenedLittle stintCalidris minutaCommon snipeGallinago gallinago(A)Terek sandpiperXenus cinereusCommon sandpiperActitis hypoleucosGreen sandpiperTringa ochropusCommon redshankTringa totanusMarsh sandpiperTringa stagnatilis(A)Wood sandpiperTringa glareolaCommon greenshankTringa nebularia
Crab-plover Order: Charadriiformes Family: Dromadidae
The crab-plover is related to the waders. It resembles a plover but with very long grey legs and a strong heavy black bill similar to a tern. It has black-and-white plumage, a long neck, partially webbed feet and a bill designed for eating crabs. +Common nameBinomialCommentsCrab-ploverDromas ardeola(A)
Coursers and pratincoles Order: Charadriiformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsCollared pratincoleGlareola pratincolaOriental pratincoleGlareola maldivarum
Skuas Order: Charadriiformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsPomarine jaegerStercorarius pomarinus
Gulls, terns and skimmers Order: Charadriiformes Family: 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. 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsBrown noddyAnous stolidusBlack noddyAnous minutus(A)Lesser black-backed gullLarus fuscus(A)Gull-billed ternGelochelidon niloticaGreater crested ternThalasseus bergiiLesser crested ternThalasseus bengalensisLittle ternSternula albifronsBridled ternOnychoprion anaethetusSooty ternOnychoprion fuscatusCommon ternSterna hirundoWhite-cheeked ternSterna repressaWhiskered ternChlidonias hybridaSaunders's ternSternula saundersiCaspian ternHydroprogne caspia
Tropicbirds Order: Phaethontiformes Family: Phaethontidae
Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings. +Common nameBinomialCommentsRed-billed tropicbirdPhaethon aethereusWhite-tailed tropicbirdPhaethon lepturus
Austral storm petrels Order: Procellariiformes Family: Oceanitidae
The 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsWilson's storm petrelOceanites oceanicusWhite-faced storm petrelPelagodroma marina(A)Black-bellied storm petrelFregetta tropica(A)
Northern storm petrels Order: Procellariiformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsSwinhoe's storm petrelHydrobates monorhisNear-threatened
Petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels Order: Procellariiformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsBarau's petrelPterodroma barauiEndangeredFlesh-footed shearwaterArdenna carneipesNear-threatenedJouanin's petrelBulweria fallaxNear-threatened
Frigatebirds Order: Suliformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsLesser frigatebirdFregata ariel(A)
Gannets and boobies Order: Suliformes Family: Sulidae
The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish. +Common nameBinomialCommentsMasked boobySula dactylatraBrown boobySula leucogaster
Cormorants and shags Order: Suliformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Ibises and spoonbills Order: Pelecaniformes Family: 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. +Common nameBinomialCommentsGlossy ibisPlegadis falcinellus
Herons and bitterns Order: Pelecaniformes Family: 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.