This is a list of the bird species recorded in Mauritius. The avifauna of Mauritius include a total of 159 species, of which 28 are endemic, and 22 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 Mauritius.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Mauritius (E) Endemic - a species endemic to Mauritius (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Mauritius as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions (Ex) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in Mauritius although populations exist elsewhere (X) Extinct - a species that was found on Mauritius but is no longer found alive globally
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl
Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.
Mauritius shelduck, Alopochen mauritiana (X) Egyptian goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca (I) Garganey, Spatula querquedula Meller's duck, Anas melleri (I) Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (I) Domestic duck Mauritius duck, Anas theodori (X) White-faced whistling duck, Dendrocygna viduata Fulvous whistling duck, Dendrocygna bicolor (A) Muscovy duck, Cairina moschata (I)
Guineafowl Order: GalliformesFamily: Numididae
Guineafowl are a group of African, seed-eating, ground-nesting birds that resemble partridges, but with featherless heads and spangled grey plumage.
Helmeted guineafowl, Numida meleagris (I)
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 pheasant, Phasianus colchicus (I) Chicken, Gallus gallus (I) Grey francolin, Ortygornis pondicerianus (I) Chinese francolin, Francolinus pintadeanus (I) Blue-breasted quail, Synoicus chinensis (I) (Ex) Common quail, Coturnix coturnix (I) (Ex) Jungle bush quail, Perdicula asiatica (I) (Ex) Madagascar partridge, Margaroperdix madagarensis (I) Red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa (I)
Flamingos
Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually , 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 (Ex) Lesser flamingo, Phoeniconaias minor (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 (I) Mauritian wood pigeon, Columba thiriouxi (X) Pink pigeon, Nesoenas mayeri (E) Mauritian turtle dove, Nesoenas cicur (X) Rodrigues pigeon, Nesoenas rodericanus (X) Malagasy turtle dove, Nesoenas picturatus (I) Spotted dove, Spilopelia chinensis (I) Laughing dove, Spilopelia senegalensis (I) Zebra dove, Geopelia striata (I) Dodo, Raphus cucullatus (X) Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria (X) Mauritius blue pigeon, Alectroenas nitidissimus (X) Rodrigues blue pigeon, Alectroenas payandeei (X)
Swifts
Order: ApodiformesFamily: 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.
White-throated needletail, Hirundapus caudacutus (A) Mascarene swiftlet, Aerodramus francicus Alpine swift, Tachypmarptis melba Common swift, Apus apus African black swift, Apus barbatus (A)
Rails, gallinules and coots
Order: GruiformesFamily: 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.
White-throated rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri (Ex) Red rail, Aphanapteryx bonasia (X) Rodrigues rail, Erythromachus leguati (X) Common moorhen, Gallinula chloropus Mascarene coot, Fulica newtonii (X) Allen's gallinule, Porphyrio alleni (A) African swamphen, Porphyrio madagascariensis (Ex)
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.
Grey plover, Pluvialis squatarola (A) Lesser sand plover, Charadrius mongolus Greater sand plover, Charadrius leschenaultii (A) Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula Little ringed plover, Charadrius dubius
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) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres (A) Great knot, Calidris tenuirostris Ruff, Calidris pugnax Broad-billed sandpiper, Calidris falcinellus Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (A) Sanderling, Calidris alba (A) Little stint, Calidris minuta Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos Terek sandpiper, Xenus cinereus (A) Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos (A) Green sandpiper, Tringa ochropus Grey-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia (A) Marsh sandpiper, Tringa stagnatilis Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola
Buttonquail
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Turnicidae
The buttonquail are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails. The female is the brighter of the sexes and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young.
Madagascar buttonquail, Turnix nigricollis
Crab-plover
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Dromadidae
The crab-plover is related to the waders. It resembles a plover but with very long grey legs and a strong heavy black bill similar to a tern's. It has black-and-white plumage, a long neck, partially webbed feet, and a bill designed for eating crabs.
Crab-plover, Dromas ardeola (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 long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards. There are 17 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in Mauritius.
Collared pratincole, Glareola pratincola (A) Oriental pratincole, Glareola maldivarum (A) Madagascar pratincole, Glareola ocularis
Skuas and jaegers
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Stercorariidae
The family Stercorariidae 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.
Brown skua, Stercorarius antarcticus South polar skua, Stercorarius maccormicki Pomarine skua, Stercorarius pomarinus
Gulls, terns, and skimmers
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. 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 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. Gulls and terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.
Brown noddy, Anous stolidus (A) Lesser noddy, Anous tenuirostris (A) Black noddy, Anous minutus White tern, Gygis alba (A) Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus (A) Bridled tern, Onychoprion anaethetus Little tern, Sternula albifrons White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus Roseate tern, Sterna dougallii (A) Common tern, Sterna hirundo (A) Great crested tern, Thalasseus bergii Lesser crested tern, Thalasseus bengalensis
Tropicbirds
Order: PhaethontiformesFamily: Phaethontidae
Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.
White-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon lepturus (A) Red-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda (A)
Albatrosses
Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: 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. There are 21 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in Mauritius.
Yellow-nosed albatross, Thalassarche chlororhynchos (A) White-capped albatross, Thalassarche cauta Sooty albatross, Phoebetria fusca Light-mantled albatross, Phoebetria palpebrata Wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans
Southern storm petrels
Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Oceanitidae
The southern storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Wilson's storm petrel, Oceanites oceanicus (A) White-faced storm petrel, Pelagodroma marina White-bellied storm petrel, Fregetta grallaria Black-bellied storm petrel, Fregetta tropica
Shearwaters and petrels
Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Procellariidae
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized shearwaters and petrels, characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.
Bulwer's petrel, Bulweria bulwerii (A) Southern giant petrel, Macronectes giganteus (A) Cape petrel, Daption capense Great-winged petrel, Pterodroma macroptera Trindade petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana (A) Herald petrel, Pterodroma heraldica Soft-plumaged petrel, Pterodroma mollis Barau's petrel, Pterodroma baraui Fairy prion, Pachyptila turtur Antarctic prion, Pachyptila desolata Slender-billed prion, Pachyptila belcheri Mascarene petrel, Pseudobulweria aterrima Cory's shearwater, Ardenna diomedea Flesh-footed shearwater, Ardenna carneipes Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacificus (A) Short-tailed shearwater, Ardenna tenuirostris Tropical shearwater, Puffinus bailloni
Frigatebirds
Order: SuliformesFamily: Fregatidae