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List of birds of the Galápagos Islands

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This list of birds recorded in the Galápagos Islands includes species recorded in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador, where 189 species have been documented as of May 2024.[1] Of them, 31 are endemic, three nest only in the Galápagos, and virtually the entire population of a fourth nests there. Seventeen endemic subspecies are noted. In addition, 64 of the species are accidental and 11 were introduced to the islands, four of which are domesticated.

Unless otherwise noted, this list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) are those of the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society.[2]

The following tags are used to define several categories of occurrence. Untagged species are common non-endemic residents, migrants, or seasonal visitors.

  • (A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in the Galápagos
  • (E) Endemic - a species found only the Galápagos
  • (EB) Endemic breeder - a species which nests only in the Galápagos but is found elsewhere in the non-breeding season
  • (ES) Endemic subspecies - a subspecies found only in the Galápagos
  • (I) Introduced - a species introduced to the Galápagos as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
  • (D) Domesticated - a species which is domesticated in the Galápagos but not naturalised

Ducks

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Blue-winged teal

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

These are adapted to an aquatic life, possessing webbed feet, an oily covering on their feathers to shed water, and bills adapted to their feeding needs.

Guineafowl

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Order: Galliformes   Family: Numididae

Guineafowl are African gamebirds, mostly spotted, with bare skin on the head and neck to lose heat.

Pheasants

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Male wild turkey

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.

Flamingos

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Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are water birds with a downcurved beak for sieving food.

Grebes

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Pied-billed grebe

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are aquatic birds most closely related to flamingoes. They are well adapted to living in water but are clumsy on land, never straying far from water when they build their nests.

Pigeons

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Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Galapagos dove

Pigeons and doves are medium to large mostly plump birds. Most are arboreal species descending to the ground to feed but some are terrestrial like the quail-doves of South America or the pheasant-pigeon of New Guinea. They are found worldwide except near the poles and in a wide variety of habitats including urban. The feral form of the rock pigeon has been introduced worldwide.

Cuckoos

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Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

Cuckoos are found almost worldwide. They are highly variable in size, shape, colour, and habits.

Nightjars

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Common nighthawk

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nighthawks belong to the same family as nightjars but are found only in the Americas. They have mottled or striped plumage for camouflage.

Swifts

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Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are aerodynamic species which are found worldwide. Some species are migratory, others resident, and others still have both migratory and resident populations.

Rails

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Sora

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

Rails are usually secretive birds. Many island species are flightless and many of those have gone extinct in the last five centuries. Gallinules are less secretive, and are usually found near or on water.

Plovers

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Pacific golden plover

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

Plovers are dull-coloured shorebirds without many distinguishing features. The bill is short and straight to catch worms on the surface. Lapwings are slightly bigger and more colourful shorebirds. Their legs are longer than plover's but the bill is the same size with respect to the body.

Oystercatchers

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American oystercatcher

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers are black or black and white shorebirds with long orange bills and with or without an eyering. The legs are pinkish.

Avocets and stilts

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Black-necked stilt

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Stilts are spindly legged birds with black and white markings.

Sandpipers

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Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Marbled godwit
Buff-breasted sandpiper
Willet

Sandpipers are long-legged mostly long-billed shorebirds. Some like woodcocks and snipes are forest species but most others are estuarine or wetland species.

Skuas

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Long-tailed jaeger

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Stercorariidae are predatory birds typically separated into the bigger Catharacta skuas and the smaller Stercorarius jaegers.

Gulls

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Swallow-tailed gull

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Royal tern

Gulls are seabirds although some are found on freshwater. They have hooked bills and some have hoods or caps on their heads. Terns were formerly placed in a family of their own, Sternidae, but now they are commonly placed along with gulls and skimmers in Laridae. Their bills are straighter than those of gulls.

Tropicbirds

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Red-billed tropicbird

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are seabirds once thought to be closely related to pelicans but are now known to belong to a clade known as Metaves.

Penguins

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Galapagos penguin

Order: Sphenisciformes   Family: Spheniscidae

Penguins are southern ocean birds with only this one species occurring north of the equator. They are small to large in size and mostly black and white in colour.

Albatrosses

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Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

Waved albatross

Albatrosses are large tubenoses with wingspans of more than a meter. Most are southern ocean species but some are found in the northern Pacific Ocean.

Southern storm-petrels

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Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

Storm-petrels are small marine birds that are mostly black and white. Until 2018, this family's species were included with the other storm-petrels in family Hydrobatidae.

Northern storm-petrels

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Band-rumped storm-petrel

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: 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.

Shearwaters

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Magnificent frigatebird

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

Petrels and shearwaters are known collectively as tubenoses for the tubes on their beaks which they use for excreting salt.

Frigatebirds

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Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are black (with some white markings) seabirds. The males have a red throat patch to attract females.

Boobies

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Blue-footed booby

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

Boobies are seabirds which were once lumped along with darters, cormorants, and frigatebirds in Pelecaniformes. Their feet are variously coloured, black with striped toes in gannets, and grey, red, blue, yellow, black, or ochre in boobies.

Cormorants

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Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are seabirds which normally stand upright. Most of them have markings on their face and wings. Only the Galápagos species is flightless.

Pelicans

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Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large seabirds, variable in colour but alike in shape. All have a gular pouch to catch fish.

Herons

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Striated heron

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

Herons are long-necked long-legged water birds. The majority feed on fish and other pond-life.

Osprey

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Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

Pandionidae is a monotypic family of fish-eating birds of prey. Its single species possesses a very large and powerful hooked beak, strong legs, strong talons, and keen eyesight.

Hawks

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Galapagos hawk

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Hawks are close relatives of eagles and kites although none of these have been recorded in the Galápagos.

Barn owls

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Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn owls are owls with a heart-shaped face.

Owls

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Short-eared owl

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical or "true" owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Kingfishers

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Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Falcons

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Peregrine falcon

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falcons are streamlined aerodynamic birds of prey which were traditionally thought to be closely related to the Accipitriformes. Recent genetic studies place them closer to parrots.

New World and African parrots

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Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Parrots are colourful tropical species with a curved bill and zygodactyl feet.

Tyrant flycatchers

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Galapagos flycatcher

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are a group of American passerines which are not related to the Old World flycatchers of the family Muscicapidae.

Vireos

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small greenish or yellowish birds.

Swallows

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Purple martin

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

Swallows and martins are passerines not closely related to swifts although they have superficial resemblance. They have short pointed wings.

Waxwings

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are medium-sized, plump birds. All three species in the family are migratory and occasionally turn up in unexpected places.

Mockingbirds

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Galapagos mockingbird

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

Mockingbirds are an American group of passerine birds. In the Galápagos they are famous (along with Darwin's finches) for confirming Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Blackbirds

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colourful passerine birds restricted to the New World.

Wood-warblers

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Yellow warbler

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

The wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some are more terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores.

Cardinals

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Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

Cardinals are a group of finch-like birds; most are colourful with seed-eating beaks.

Tanagers

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Green warbler finch
Large ground finch

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. Most of the 19 species in the family which have been recorded in the Galápagos are "Darwin's finches". Famous for inspiring Darwin in his theory of evolution, the finches have astonishingly different beaks.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i This species is not on the SACC list. Its placement follows Clements.

References

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  1. ^ "Species Checklist "Aves"". Charles Darwin Foundation. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 27 July 2024. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 28, 2024

See also

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