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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

References

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.