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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editOrder: 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
editReferences
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.