This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The avifauna of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands include a total of 154 species, of which 5 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 the 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 . the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories, but 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 in Cocos (Keeling) Islands (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Cocos (Keeling) Islands as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
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.
Garganey, Spatula querquedula (A) Pacific black duck, Anas superciliosa (A) Northern pintail, Anas acuta (A) Green-winged teal, Anas crecca (A) Gray teal, Anas gracilis Hardhead, Aythya australis (A)
Pheasants, grouse, and allies Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowls, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.
Red junglefowl, Gallus gallus (I) Green junglefowl, Gallus varius (I)
Flamingos Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually tall, 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)
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 pigeon, Columba livia (I) Oriental turtle-dove, Streptopelia orientalis (A)
Cuckoos Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.
Chestnut-winged cuckoo, Clamator coromandus (A) Asian koel, Eudynamys scolopaceus (A) Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo, Chrysococcyx basalis Square-tailed drongo-cuckoo, Surniculus lugubris (A) Large hawk-cuckoo, Hierococcyx sparverioides (A) Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo, Hierococcyx nisicolor (A) Indian cuckoo, Cuculus micropterus (A) Oriental cuckoo, Cuculus saturatus
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.
White-throated needletail, Hirundapus caudacutus (A) Pacific swift, Apus pacificus (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.
Buff-banded rail, Gallirallus philippensis Eurasian moorhen, Gallinula chloropus (A) Watercock, Gallicrex cinerea (A) White-breasted waterhen, Amaurornis phoenicurus Baillon's crake, Zapornia pusilla (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 stilt, Himantopus leucocephalus
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.
Black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola (A) Pacific golden-plover, Pluvialis fulva Lesser sand-plover, Charadrius mongolus (A) Greater sand-plover, Charadrius leschenaultii (A) Caspian plover, Charadrius asiaticus (A) Kentish plover, Charadrius alexandrinus (A) Oriental plover, Charadrius veredus (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.
Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus (A) Little curlew, Numenius minutus (A) Far Eastern curlew, Numenius madagascariensis (A) Eurasian curlew, Numenius arquata (A) Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica (A) Black-tailed godwit, Limosa limosa (A) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Great knot, Calidris tenuirostris (A) Red knot, Calidris canutus (A) Broad-billed sandpiper, Calidris falcinellus Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata (A) Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (A) Long-toed stint, Calidris subminuta Red-necked stint, Calidris ruficollis (A) Sanderling, Calidris alba (A) Little stint, Calidris minuta (A) Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos Pin-tailed snipe, Gallinago stenura (A) Terek sandpiper, Xenus cinereus (A) Red-necked phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus (A) Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos Gray-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes (A) Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia (A) Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola Common redshank, Tringa totanus (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.
Oriental pratincole, Glareola maldivarum (A)
Gulls, terns, and skimmers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns and skimmers. Gulls are typically gray 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 gray 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. Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish.
Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus (A) Brown noddy, Anous stolidus Lesser noddy, Anous tenuirostris (A) White tern, Gygis alba Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus Bridled tern, Onychoprion anaethetus (A) Little tern, Sternula albifrons Saunders's tern Sternula saundersi (A) Gull-billed tern Gelochelidon nilotica White-winged tern, Chlidonias leucopterus (A) Whiskered tern, Chlidonias hybrida (A) Common tern, Sterna hirundo (A) Great crested tern, Thalasseus bengalensis Lesser crested tern, Thalasseus bergii (A)
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 Red-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
Penguins Order: SphenisciformesFamily: Spheniscidae
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Only one species, the little penguin, breeds on the Australian coast.
Southern rockhopper penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome (A)
Albatrosses Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Diomedeidae
The albatrosses are a family of large seabird found across the Southern and North Pacific Oceans. The largest are among the largest flying birds in the world.
Yellow-nosed albatross, Thalassarche chlororhynchos
Southern storm-petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Oceanitidae
The southern storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. Their flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Wilson's storm-petrel, Oceanites oceanicus Black-bellied storm-petrel, Fregetta tropica
Shearwaters and petrels Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Procellariidae
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium nasal septum, and a long outer functional primary flight feather.
Herald petrel, Pterodroma arminjoniana (A) Barau's petrel, Pterodroma baraui (A) Bulwer's petrel, Bulweria bulwerii (A) Jouanin's petrel, Bulweria fallax (A) Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacificus Tropical shearwater, Puffinus bailloni (A)
Frigatebirds Order: SuliformesFamily: Fregatidae
Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black, or black-and-white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have coloured 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.
Lesser frigatebird, Fregata ariel Christmas Island frigatebird, Fregata andrewsi (A) Great frigatebird, Fregata minor
Boobies and gannets Order: SuliformesFamily: Sulidae
The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.
Masked booby, Sula dactylatra Brown booby, Sula leucogaster Red-footed booby, Sula sula
Cormorants and shags Order: SuliformesFamily: Phalacrocoracidae
Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of coloured skin on the face. The bill is long, thin and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed, a distinguishing feature among the order Pelecaniformes.
Little pied cormorant, Microcarbo melanoleucos (A) Little black cormorant, Phalacrocorax sulcirostris (A)
Herons, egrets, and bitterns Order: PelecaniformesFamily: 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.
Yellow bittern, Ixobrychus sinensis (A) Schrenck's bittern, Ixobrychus eurhythmus (A) Cinnamon bittern, Ixobrychus cinnamomeus (A)