The avifauna of Gibraltar include a total of 325 species, of which 3 have been introduced by humans. The majority of the introduced species are wanderers from introduced populations in Spain.
This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of the IOC World Bird List with a few changes to match the list of the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society.
The following tags have been used to highlight categories. Vagrant and established introduced species are included in the total counts for Gibraltar.
(A) recorded in a natural wild state in Gibraltar since 1 January 1950 (B) recorded in a natural wild state in Gibraltar but only before 1 January 1950 (C) introduced – a species which occurs in Gibraltar as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These are birds adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.
Mute swan Cygnus olor (A) Greylag goose, Anser anser (A) Common shelduck, Tadorna tadorna (A) Garganey, Spatula querquedula (A) Gadwall, Mareca strepera (A) Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope (A) Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (A) Northern pintail, Anas acuta (A) Eurasian teal, Anas crecca (A) Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula (B) Greater scaup, Aythya marila (B) Common eider, Somateria mollissima (A) Common scoter, Melanitta nigra (A) Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator (A)
Pheasants, grouse, and allies
Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.
Common quail, Coturnix coturnix (A) Barbary partridge, Alectoris barbara (A)
Nightjars and allies
Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Caprimulgidae
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.
Red-necked nightjar, Caprimulgus ruficollis (A) Eurasian nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus (A)
Swifts
Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Apodidae
Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.
Alpine swift, Tachymarptis melba (A) Common swift, Apus apus (A) Pallid swift, Apus pallidus (A) Little swift, Apus affinis (A) White-rumped swift, Apus caffer (A)
Bustards Order: OtidiformesFamily: Otididae
Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays.
Great bustard, Otis tarda (A)
Cuckoos
Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos and allies. These are birds of variable sizes with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs.
Great spotted cuckoo, Clamator glandarius (A) Common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus (A)
Sandgrouse Order: PterocliformesFamily: Pteroclidae
Sandgrouse have small, pigeon like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. They have long pointed wings and sometimes tails and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk. Their legs are feathered down to the toes.
Pin-tailed sandgrouse, Pterocles alchata (A)
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 dove, Columba livia (A; mostly feral pigeons) Stock dove, Columba oenas (A) Common wood pigeon, Columba palumbus (A) European turtle dove, Streptopelia turtur (A) Eurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto (A)
Rails, gallinules, and coots Order: GruiformesFamily: Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which include 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.
Corn crake, Crex crex (A) Common moorhen, Gallinula chloropus (A) Eurasian coot, Fulica atra (B) Western swamphen, Porphyrio porphyrio (A) Allen's gallinule, Porphyrio alleni (A) Baillon's crake, Zapornia pusilla (A)
Cranes
Order: GruiformesFamily: Gruidae
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances".
Common crane, Grus grus (A)
Grebes
Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae
Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.
Little grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis (A) Black-necked grebe, Podiceps nigricollis (A)
Flamingos
Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.
Greater flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus (A)
Stone-curlews
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Burhinidae
The stone-curlews and thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats.
Eurasian stone-curlew, Burhinus oedicnemus (A)
Oystercatchers
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae
The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong orange-red bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
Eurasian oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus (A)
Stilts and avocets Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.
Pied avocet, Recurvirostra avosetta (A) Black-winged stilt, Himantopus himantopus (A)
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.
Northern lapwing, Vanellus vanellus (A) European golden plover, Pluvialis apricaria (A) Grey plover, Pluvialis squatarola (A) Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula (A) Little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius (A) Kentish plover, Charadrius alexandrinus (A)
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.
Eurasian whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus (A) Eurasian curlew, Numenius arquata (A) Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica (A) Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa (A) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Red knot, Calidris canutus (A) Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (A) Sanderling, Calidris alba (A) Dunlin, Calidris alpina (A) Purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima (A) Little stint, Calidris minuta (A) Eurasian woodcock, Scolopax rusticola (A) Jack snipe, Lymnocryptes minimus (A) Common snipe, Gallinago gallinago (A) Red-necked phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus (B) Grey phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius (A) Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos (A) Green sandpiper, Tringa ochropus (A) Common redshank, Tringa totanus (A) Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola (A)
Pratincoles and coursers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Glareolidae
Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have longer legs, shorter wings and longer pointed bills which curve downwards.
Collared pratincole, Glareola pratincola (A)
Gulls, terns, and skimmers
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds that includes gulls and terns. 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 small to medium-size 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. Both are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.
Black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla (A) Sabine's gull, Xema sabini (A) Slender-billed gull, Chroicocephalus genei (A) Black-headed gull, Chroicocephalus ridibundus Grey-headed gull, Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus (A) Little gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus (A) Laughing gull, Leucophaeus atricilla (A) Mediterranean gull, Ichthyaetus melanocephalus (A) Audouin's gull, Ichthyaetus audouinii (A) Common gull, Larus canus (A) Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis (A) Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus (A) Iceland gull, Larus glaucoides (A) European herring gull, Larus argentatus (A) Yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis (A) Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus (A) Gull-billed tern, Gelochelidon nilotica (A) Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia (A) Lesser crested tern, Thalasseus bengalensis (A) West African crested tern, Thalasseus albididorsalis (A) Sandwich tern, Thalasseus sandvicensis (A) Little tern, Sternula albifrons (A) Roseate tern, Sterna dougallii (A) Common tern, Sterna hirundo (A) Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea (A) Whiskered tern, Chlidonias hybrida (A) White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus (A) Black tern, Chlidonias niger (A)
Skuas
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Stercorariidae
Skuas 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. Much of their food is obtained by piracy, robbing other seabirds of their catches. Some species are also called 'jaegers' in North America.
Great skua, Stercorarius skua Arctic skua, Stercorarius parasiticus Pomarine skua, Stercorarius pomarinus (A)
Auks, guillemots, and puffins
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Alcidae
Alcids are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white plumage, their upright posture and some of their habits, however they are not related to the penguins and differ in being able to fly. Auks live on the open sea, only deliberately coming ashore to nest.