List of birds of Easter Island

This is a list of the bird species of Easter Island. The avifauna of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) include 51 species, of which 6 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 Easter Island.

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 on Easter Island
  • Extinct - a species extinct to Easter Island
  • (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Easter Island as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
  • (Ex) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in Easter Island although populations exist elsewhere


Tinamous

edit

Order: Tinamiformes   Family: Tinamidae

The tinamous are one of the most ancient groups of bird. Although they look similar to other ground-dwelling birds like quail and grouse, they have no close relatives and are classified as a single family, Tinamidae, within their own order, the Tinamiformes. They are distantly related to the ratites (order Struthioniformes), that includes the rheas, emus and kiwis.

Common name Binomial Notes
Chilean tinamou Nothoprocta perdicaria (I)

Pheasants, grouse, and allies

edit

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

Phasianidae consists of the pheasants and their allies. These are terrestrial species, variable in size but generally plump with broad relatively short wings. Many species are gamebirds or have been domesticated as a food source for humans.

Common name Binomial Notes
Red junglefowl Gallus gallus (I)

Pigeons and doves

edit

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

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

Common name Binomial Notes
Rock pigeon Columba livia (I)

Rails, gallinules, and coots

edit

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 name Binomial Notes
Easter Island crake Porzana sp. †Extinct
Easter Island rail gen. et sp. indet. †Extinct

Plovers and lapwings

edit

Order: Tinamiformes   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 name Binomial Notes
Pacific golden-plover Pluvialis fulva (A)

Sandpipers and allies

edit

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 name Binomial Notes
Bristle-thighed curlew Numenius tahitiensis (A)
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus (A)
Sharp-tailed sandpiper Calidris acuminata (A)
Sanderling Caldris alba (A)
Wandering tattler Tringa incana (A)

Skuas and jaegers

edit

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with gray 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 name Binomial Notes
Pomarine jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus (A)

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

edit

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds and includes gulls, terns and skimmers. Gulls are typically gray 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.

Common name Binomial Notes
Franklin's gull Leucophaeus pipixcan (A)
Brown noddy Anous stolidus
Gray noddy Anous albivitta
White tern Gygis alba
Sooty tern Onychoprion fuscatus
Gray-backed tern Onychoprion lunatus
Inca tern Larosterna inca (A)

Tropicbirds

edit

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 name Binomial Notes
White-tailed tropicbird Phaethon lepturus
Red-tailed tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda

Albatrosses

edit

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: 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.

Common name Binomial Notes
Chatham albatross Thalassarche eremita
Black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris (A)

Shearwaters and petrels

edit

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.

Common name Binomial Notes
Southern giant-petrel Macronectes giganteus (A)
Northern giant-petrel Macronectes halli (A)
Cape petrel Daption capense (A)
Kermadec petrel Pterodroma neglecta
Herald petrel Pterodroma heraldica
Murphy's petrel Pterodroma ultima (A)
Henderson petrel Pterodroma atrata
Black-winged petrel Pterodroma nigripennis (A)
Phoenix petrel Pterodroma alba (A)
Wedge-tailed shearwater Ardenna pacifica (A)
Christmas shearwater Puffinus nativitatis
Tropical shearwater Puffinus bailloni (A)

Frigatebirds

edit

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 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.

Common name Binomial Notes
Great frigatebird Fregata minor

Boobies and gannets

edit

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 name Binomial Notes
Masked booby Sula dactylatra
Peruvian booby Sula variegata (A)
Brown booby Sula leucogaster
Red-footed booby Sula sula (A)

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

edit

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.

Common name Binomial Notes
Pacific reef-heron Egretta sacra (A)
Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis (A)

Hawks, eagles, and kites

edit

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: 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.

Common name Binomial Notes
Cinereous harrier Circus cinereus (A)
Black-chested buzzard-eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus

Barn-owls

edit

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons. One species has been recorded in Colombia.

Common name Binomial Notes
Barn owl Tyto alba (Ex)

Falcons and caracaras

edit

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.

Common name Binomial Notes
Chimango caracara Milvago chimango (I)

Wrens

edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

The wrens are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous.

Common name Binomial Notes
House wren Troglodytes aedon (A)

Old World sparrows

edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or gray birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.

Common name Binomial Notes
House sparrow Passer domesticus (I)

New World sparrows

edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

Most of the species are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many of these have distinctive head patterns.

Common name Binomial Notes
Rufous-collared sparrow Zonotrichia capensis (A)

Troupials and allies

edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World and include the grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. Most species have black as the predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red.

Common name Binomial Notes
Long-tailed meadowlark Leistes loyca (Ex)
Austral blackbird Curaeus curaeus

Tanagers and allies

edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: 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.

Common name Binomial Notes
Diuca finch Diuca diuca (I)

See also

edit

References

edit
  • Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World, Easter Island
  • A. Jaramillo, M. T. J Johnson, C. J. Rothfels & R. A. Johnson. 2008. The native and exotic avifauna of Easter Island: then and now. Boletín Chileno de Ornitología, 14 (1): 8-21.
  • Steadman, David (2006). Extinction and Biogeography in Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-77142-7.