This is a list of the bird species recorded on the Kermadec Islands. The avifauna of the Kermadec Islands include a total of 128 species.
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 the Kermadec Islands.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs on the Kermadec Islands. (E) Endemic - a species endemic to the Kermadec Islands (I) Introduced - a species introduced to the Kermadec 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.
Canada goose, Branta canadensis (A) Australian shelduck, Tadorna tadornoides (A) Paradise shelduck, Tadorna variegata (A) Pacific black duck, Anas superciliosa Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (A)
New World quail Order: GalliformesFamily: Odontophoridae
The New World quails are small, plump terrestrial birds only distantly related to the quails of the Old World, but named for their similar appearance and habits.
California quail Callipepla californica (I)
Pigeons and doves Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
New Zealand pigeon, Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (Ex)
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.
Long-tailed koel, Urodynamis taitensis Shining bronze-cuckoo, Chrysococcyx lucidus (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.
Australasian swamphen, Porphyrio melanotus Spotless crake, Zapornia tabuensis
Oystercatchers Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae
The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.
South Island oystercatcher, Haematopus finschi (V)
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 Masked lapwing, Vanellus miles (A) Double-banded plover, Charadrius bicinctus (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.
Bristle-thighed curlew, Numenius tahitiensis (A) Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus (A) Far Eastern curlew, Numenius madagascariensis (A) Bar-tailed godwit, Limosa lapponica Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Red knot, Calidris canutus (A) Sharp-tailed sandpiper, Calidris acuminata (A) Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (A) Gray-tailed tattler, Tringa brevipes (A) Wandering tattler, Tringa incana (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)
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.
South polar skua, Stercorarius maccormicki (A) Brown skua, Stercorarius antarcticus Pomarine jaeger, Stercorarius pomarinus Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus (A) Long-tailed jaeger, Stercorarius longicaudus (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 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. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.
Silver gull, Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae (A) Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan (A) Kelp gull, Larus dominicanus (A) Brown noddy, Anous stolidus Black noddy, Anous minutus Gray noddy, Anous albivitta Blue-gray noddy, Anous ceruleus White tern, Gygis alba Sooty tern, Onychoprion fuscatus Little tern, Sternula albifrons (A) Great crested tern, Thalasseus bergii (A)
Tropicbirds Order: PhaethontiformesFamily: Phaethontidae
Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their long wings have black markings, as does the head.
Red-tailed tropicbird, Phaethon rubricauda
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.
Buller's albatross, Thalassarche bulleri (A) White-capped albatross, Thalassarche cauta Salvin's albatross, Thalassarche salvini Chatham albatross, Thalassarche eremita Black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris (A) Light-mantled albatross, Phoebetria palpebrata (A) Northern royal albatross, Diomedea epomophora Wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans (A)
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) Gray-backed storm-petrel, Garrodia nereis 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 "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.
Southern giant-petrel, Macronectes giganteus (A) Northern giant-petrel, Macronectes halli (A) Cape petrel, Daption capense Gray-faced petrel, Pterodroma gouldi Kermadec petrel, Pterodroma neglecta Magenta petrel, Pterodroma magentae Herald petrel, Pterodroma heraldica (A) Providence petrel, Pterodroma solandri Soft-plumaged petrel, Pterodroma mollis White-headed petrel, Pterodroma lessonii Mottled petrel, Pterodroma inexpectata (A) White-necked petrel, Pterodroma cervicalis Black-winged petrel, Pterodroma nigripennis Cook's petrel, Pterodroma cookii Gould's petrel, Pterodroma leucoptera (A) Stejneger's petrel, Pterodroma longirostris (A) Phoenix petrel, Pterodroma alba (A) Blue petrel, Halobaena caerulea (A) Fairy prion, Pachyptila turtur Broad-billed prion, Pachyptila vittata Antarctic prion, Pachyptila desolata (A) Slender-billed prion, Pachyptila belcheri (A) Fulmar prion, Pachyptila crassirostris Gray petrel, Procellaria cinerea White-chinned petrel, Procellaria aequinoctialis Parkinson's petrel, Procellaria parkinsoni Flesh-footed shearwater, Ardenna carneipes Wedge-tailed shearwater, Ardenna pacifica Buller's shearwater, Ardenna bulleri Sooty shearwater, Ardenna grisea (A) Short-tailed shearwater, Ardenna tenuirostris (A) Christmas shearwater, Puffinus nativitatis (A) Little shearwater, Puffinus assimilis Subantarctic shearwater, Puffinus elegans Common diving-petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix
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 (A) Great frigatebird, Fregata minor (A)
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 (A) Red-footed booby, Sula sula (A)
Cormorants and shags Order: SuliformesFamily: Phalacrocoracidae
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white and a few being colourful.
Great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo (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.
Pacific heron, Ardea pacifica (A) Great egret, Ardea alba White-faced heron, Egretta novaehollandiae (A) Little egret, Egretta garzetta (A) Cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis (A) Nankeen night-heron, Nycticorax caledonicus
Ibises and spoonbills Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.
Royal spoonbill, Platalea regia (A)
Hawks, eagles, and kites Order: AccipitriformesFamily: 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.
Swamp harrier, Circus approximans
Owls Order: StrigiformesFamily: Strigidae