List of birds of Kiribati

This is a list of the bird species recorded in Kiribati, an island nation in the central Pacific Ocean. The avifauna of Kiribati include a total of 90 species, of which two are endemic, and 3 have been introduced by humans.

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 Kiribati.

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. Not all species fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring native species.


 * (A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Kiribati
 * (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Kiribati as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
 * (Ex) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in Kiribati although populations exist elsewhere
 * (E) Endemic - a species endemic to Kiribati

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.


 * Canada goose, Branta canadensis (A)
 * Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata
 * Gadwall, Mareca strepera (Ex)
 * Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope
 * American wigeon, Mareca americana (A)
 * Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (A)
 * Northern pintail, Anas acuta
 * Green-winged teal, Anas crecca

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, grouse, ptarmigan, and junglefowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.


 * Red junglefowl, Gallus gallus (I)

Pigeons and doves
Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.


 * Rock pigeon, Columba livia
 * Shy ground dove, Gallicolumba stairi
 * Pacific imperial-pigeon, Ducula pacifica
 * Micronesian imperial-pigeon, Ducula oceanica (Ex)

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.


 * Long-tailed koel, Urodynamis taitensis

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.


 * Spotless crake, Zapornia tabuensis

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
 * Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva

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.


 * Bristle-thighed curlew, Numenius tahitiensis
 * Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus
 * Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica
 * Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa
 * Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres
 * Kiritimati sandpiper, Prosobonia cancellata (Ex)
 * Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata
 * Sanderling, Calidris alba
 * Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos
 * Red phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius
 * Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos
 * Gray-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes
 * Wandering tattler, Tringa incana

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.


 * South polar skua, Stercorarius maccormicki
 * Brown skua, Stercorarius antarcticus
 * Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus
 * Long-tailed jaeger, Stercorarius longicaudus

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.


 * Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla
 * Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan (A)
 * Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis
 * Glaucous-winged gull, Larus glaucescens (A)
 * Kelp gull, Larus dominicanus (A)
 * Brown noddy, Anous stolidus
 * Black noddy, Anous minutus
 * Lesser noddy, Anous tenuirostris
 * Blue-gray noddy, Anous ceruleus
 * White tern, Gygis alba
 * Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus
 * Gray-backed tern, Onychoprion lunatus
 * Little tern, Sternula albifrons
 * Black-naped tern, Sterna sumatrana
 * Great crested tern, Thalasseus bergii

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-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda

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.


 * Laysan albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis

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
 * White-faced storm-petrel, Pelagodroma marina
 * Polynesian storm-petrel, Nesofregetta fuliginosa

Northern storm-petrels
Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Hydrobatidae

Though the members of this family are similar in many respects to the southern storm-petrels, including their general appearance and habits, there are enough genetic differences to warrant their placement in a separate family.


 * Leach's storm-petrel, Hydrobates leucorhous
 * Band-rumped storm-petrel, Hydrobates castro

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.


 * Kermadec petrel, Pterodroma neglecta
 * Providence petrel, Pterodroma solandri
 * Mottled petrel, Pterodroma inexpectata (A)
 * Juan Fernandez petrel, Pterodroma externa
 * Hawaiian petrel, Pterodroma sandwichensis
 * White-necked petrel, Pterodroma cervicalis (A)
 * Bonin petrel, Pterodroma hypoleuca
 * Black-winged petrel, Pterodroma nigripennis (A)
 * Cook's petrel, Pterodroma cookii
 * Collared petrel, Pterodroma brevipes (A)
 * Stejneger's petrel, Pterodroma longirostris
 * Pycroft's petrel, Pterodroma pycrofti (A)
 * Phoenix petrel, Pterodroma alba
 * Bulwer's petrel, Bulweria bulwerii
 * Tahiti petrel, Pseudobulweria rostrata (A)
 * Streaked shearwater, Calonectris leucomelas (A)
 * Pink-footed shearwater, Ardenna creatopus
 * Flesh-footed shearwater, Ardenna carneipes
 * Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacificus
 * Buller's shearwater, Ardenna bulleri
 * Sooty shearwater, Ardenna griseus
 * Short-tailed shearwater, Ardenna tenuirostris
 * Christmas shearwater, Puffinus nativitatis
 * Tropical shearwater, Puffinus bailloni

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.


 * 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 to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.


 * Masked booby, Sula dactylatra
 * Nazca booby, Sula granti (A)
 * Brown booby, Sula leucogaster
 * Red-footed booby, Sula sula

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.


 * Pacific reef-heron, Egretta sacra

Old World parrots
Order: PsittaciformesFamily: Psittaculidae

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly coloured, and some are multi-coloured. In size they range from 8 cm to 1 m in length. Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.


 * Kuhl's lorikeet, Vini kuhlii (I)

Acrocephalid warblers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Acrocephalidae


 * Kiritimati reed warbler, Acrocephalus aequinoctialis (E)