List of birds of Gough Island

This is a list of the bird species recorded on Gough Island. The avifauna of Gough Island include a total of 58 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 Gough Island.

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 on Gough Island.
 * (E) Endemic - a species endemic to Gough Island.

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.


 * Gough moorhen, Gallinula comeri (E)

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.


 * Snowy sheathbill, Chionis albus (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.


 * White-rumped sandpiper, Calidris fuscicollis (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.


 * Brown skua, Stercorarius antarcticus
 * 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 (A)
 * Brown noddy, Anous stolidus
 * Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea (A)
 * Antarctic tern, Sterna vittata

Penguins
Order: SphenisciformesFamily: Spheniscidae

The penguins are a group of flightless aquatic birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of marine life caught while swimming underwater.


 * King penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus (A)
 * Gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua (A)
 * Chinstrap penguin, Pygoscelis antarcticus (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
 * Gray-headed albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma
 * White-capped albatross, Thalassarche cauta
 * Salvin's albatross, Thalassarche salvini (A)
 * Black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris
 * Sooty albatross, Phoebetria fusca
 * Light-mantled albatross, Phoebetria palpebrata
 * 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
 * Gray-backed storm-petrel, Garrodia nereis (A)
 * White-faced storm-petrel, Pelagodroma marina
 * 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
 * Cape petrel, Daption capense
 * Kerguelen petrel, Aphrodroma brevirostris
 * Great-winged petrel, Pterodroma macroptera
 * Soft-plumaged petrel, Pterodroma mollis
 * White-headed petrel, Pterodroma lessonii
 * Atlantic petrel, Pterodroma incerta
 * Blue petrel, Halobaena caerulea (A)
 * Broad-billed prion, Pachyptila vittata
 * MacGillivray's prion, Pachyptila macgillivrayi
 * Antarctic prion, Pachyptila desolata
 * Slender-billed prion, Pachyptila belcheri
 * Gray petrel, Procellaria cinerea
 * White-chinned petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis
 * Spectacled petrel, Procellaria conspicillata
 * Cory's shearwater, Calonectris diomedea (A)
 * Great shearwater, Ardenna gravis
 * Sooty shearwater, Ardenna grisea
 * Subantarctic shearwater, Puffinus elegans
 * Tropical shearwater, Puffinus bailloni
 * Common diving-petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix

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.


 * Cocoi heron, Ardea cocoi (A)
 * Great egret, Ardea alba (A)
 * Snowy egret, Egretta thula (A)
 * Cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis (A)

Swallows
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.


 * Barn swallow, Hirundo rustica (A)
 * Cliff swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (A)

Leaf warblers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Phylloscopidae

This widespread family consists of small, insectivorous birds that forage mainly in trees.


 * Willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus (A)

Tanagers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Thraupidae

The tanagers are a large group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World, mainly in the tropics. Many species are brightly colored. As a family they are omnivorous, but individual species specialize in eating fruits, seeds, insects, or other types of food. Most have short, rounded wings.


 * Gough Island finch, Rowettia goughensis (E)