Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

, previously known as the Ellice Islands, is an island country in

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of six

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

s and three reef islands (islands made of rocks from coral skeletons), with a total land area of . Its climate is hot and humid, with annual rainfall varying from . The soil is very weakly developed, consisting mostly of coral sand and calcium carbonate-rich regosols. Vegetation on the islands predominantly consists of

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

s, screw palms, ''

Casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fami ...

'', creepers, and grass, although some native forest exists. Previously, the islands were likely covered with '' Pisonia'' woodland. Thirty-seven species of birds have been recorded on Tuvalu, one of which has been introduced by humans. Thirteen of these species, nine of which are

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s, breed in the country. The

Pacific reef-heron The Pacific reef heron (''Egretta sacra''), also known as the eastern reef heron or eastern reef egret, is a species of heron found throughout southern Asia and Oceania. It occurs in two colour morphs with either slaty grey or pure white pluma ...

Pacific imperial-pigeon The Pacific imperial pigeon (''Ducula pacifica'') is a widespread species of pigeon in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the smaller islands of eastern Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, the smaller satellite islands of ...

, and

buff-banded rail The buff-banded rail (''Hypotaenidia philippensis'') is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-we ...

, along with the introduced red junglefowl, are the remaining breeding species. Nine species of

shorebird 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

, eight species of seabird,

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

s, and long-railed koels are migratory visitors to the islands. Four species of birds found in Tuvalu are globally

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...

; the

bristle-thighed curlew The bristle-thighed curlew (''Numenius tahitiensis'') is a medium-sized shorebird that breeds in Alaska and winters on tropical Pacific islands. It is known in Mangareva as ''kivi'' or ''kivikivi'' and in Rakahanga as ''kihi''; it is said to be ...

, bar-tailed godwit, and gray-tailed tattler are near-threatened, while the Phoenix petrel is

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

. Before the arrival of humans, the birds of the islands may have also included kingfishers, '' Acrocephalus'' warblers, '' Aplonis'' starlings, '' Prosobonia'' sandpipers, and

fruit dove The fruit doves, also known as fruit pigeons, are a genus (''Ptilinopus'') of birds in the pigeon and dove family (Columbidae). These colourful, frugivorous doves are found in forests and woodlands in Southeast Asia and Oceania. It is a large gen ...

s. However, higher sea levels at that time might have eliminated fresh water sources on most of the atolls, making them unsuitable for pigeons or starlings. This list's

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, and species) and nomenclature (

common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

and scientific names) follow the conventions of the 2022 edition of '' The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World''. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. The following codes have been used to show several categories. Species without any tags are commonly occurring native species. * (A) Accidental: a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Tuvalu. * (I) Introduced: a species introduced to Tuvalu as a direct or indirect consequence of human action.

Ducks, geese, and waterfowl

Order:

Anseriformes Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

Family: Anatidae Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

s. 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. * Pacific black duck, ''Anas superciliosa'' *

Mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

, ''Anas platyrhynchos'' (A)

Pheasants, grouse, and allies

Order: GalliformesFamily:

Phasianidae The Phasianidae are a family (biology), family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, Turkey bird, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular Game (hunti ...

The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins,

spurfowl Spurfowl are two genera of birds: * ''Galloperdix'', from India and Sri Lanka * ''Pternistis ''Pternistis'' is a genus of galliform birds formerly classified in the spurfowl group of the partridge subfamily of the pheasant family. They are d ...

tragopan ''Tragopan'' is a bird genus in the pheasant family Phasianidae. Member of the genus are commonly called "horned pheasants" because males have two brightly colored, fleshy horns on their head that can be erected during courtship displays. The ha ...

s, 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)

Pigeons and doves

Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. * Pacific imperial-pigeon, ''Ducula pacifica''

Cuckoos

Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and

anis Anis ( ar, أنيس) is a masculine given name. The meaning of the name Anis is "genial" or "close friend". People In arts * Anis Mohamed Youssef Ferchichi, German rapper known as Bushido * Anis Haffar, educational theorist, teacher, columnist ...

. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. *

Long-tailed koel The Pacific long-tailed cuckoo (''Urodynamis taitensis''), also known as the long-tailed cuckoo, long-tailed koel, sparrow hawk, home owl, screecher, screamer or in Māori, is a species of the Cuculidae bird family (the cuckoos). It is a migrat ...

, ''Urodynamis taitensis''

Rails, gallinules, and coots

Order:

Gruiformes The Gruiformes are an order (biology), order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird family (biology), families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like". Traditionally, a number of wading and t ...

Family: Rallidae Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails,

crake The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species are associated with wetlands, althoug ...

s, 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. The buff-banded rail only established a breeding population in 1972. *

Buff-banded rail The buff-banded rail (''Hypotaenidia philippensis'') is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the rail family, Rallidae. This species comprises several subspecies found throughout much of Australasia and the south-we ...

, ''Gallirallus philippensis''

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. * Pacific golden-plover, ''Pluvialis fulva'' * Common ringed plover, ''Charadrius hiaticula'' (A) * Semipalmated plover, ''Charadrius semipalmatus'' (A)

Sandpipers and allies

Order: CharadriiformesFamily:

Scolopacidae Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. ...

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and

phalarope __NOTOC__ A phalarope is any of three living species of slender-necked shorebirds in the genus ''Phalaropus'' of the bird family Scolopacidae. Phalaropes are close relatives of the shanks and tattlers, the ''Actitis'' and Terek sandpipers, a ...

s. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Some species have highly specialised bills adapted to specific feeding strategies. * Bristle-thighed curlew, ''Numenius tahitiensis'' * Whimbrel, ''Numenius phaeopus'' (A) * Bar-tailed godwit, ''Limosa lapponica'' * Ruddy turnstone, ''Arenaria interpres'' * Sanderling, ''Calidris alba'' *

Gray-tailed tattler The grey-tailed tattler (''Tringa brevipes'', formerly ''Heteroscelus brevipes''Banks, Richard C.; Cicero, Carla; Dunn, Jon L.; Kratter, Andrew W.; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr.; Rising, James D. & Stotz, Douglas F. (2006):Forty-seventh ...

, ''Tringa brevipes'' *

Wandering tattler The wandering tattler (''Tringa incana''; formerly ''Heteroscelus incanus'': Pereira & Baker, 2005; Banks ''et al.'', 2006), is a medium-sized wading bird. It is similar in appearance to the closely related gray-tailed tattler, ''T. brevipes''. ...

, ''Tringa incana''

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae Laridae is a family of seabirds consisting of gulls, terns, and

skimmer Skimmer may refer to: Animals *Skimmer (bird), a common name for birds in the genus ''Rynchops'' *Skimmer (dragonfly), a common name for dragonflies in the family Libellulidae *Water strider or skimmer, a common name for insects in the family Ge ...

s. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. Terns are generally smaller than gulls with more pointed wings and bills, many also having forked tails which help with aerial manoeuvrability. * Brown noddy, ''Anous stolidus'' * Black noddy, ''Anous minutus'' *

Blue-gray noddy The blue noddy or ''hinaokū'' or ''manuohina'' (''Anous cerulea'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is also known as the blue-grey noddy. It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Is ...

, ''Anous ceruleus'' (A) * White tern, ''Gygis alba'' *

Sooty tern The sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans, returning to land only to breed on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Taxonomy The sooty tern was described by Carl Linnaeu ...

, ''Onychoprion fuscatus'' *

Grey-backed tern The spectacled tern (''Onychoprion lunatus''), also known as the grey-backed tern, is a seabird in the family Laridae. Description A close relative of the bridled and sooty terns (with which it is sometimes confused), the spectacled tern is les ...

, ''Onychoprion lunatus'' (A) *

Bridled tern The bridled tern (''Onychoprion anaethetus'') is a seabird of the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus comes from ' meaning "claw" or "nail", and , meaning "saw". The specific ...

, ''Onychoprion anaethetus'' *

Black-naped tern The black-naped tern (''Sterna sumatrana'') is an oceanic tern mostly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is rarely found inland. Description The tern is about 30 cm long with a wing length of 21� ...

, ''Sterna sumatrana'' *

Great crested tern The greater crested tern Retrieved 28 February 2012 (''Thalasseus bergii''), also called crested tern or swift tern, is a tern in the family Laridae that nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old Worl ...

, ''Thalasseus bergii''

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 The red-tailed tropicbird (''Phaethon rubricauda'') is a seabird native to tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. One of three closely related species of tropicbird (Phaethontidae), it was described by Pieter Boddaert in 1783. Superfic ...

, ''Phaethon rubricauda'' (A)

Shearwaters and petrels

Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Procellariidae The procellariids are a group of medium-sized petrels, characterised by united nostrils with a medium nasal septum and a long outer functional primary flight feather. * Phoenix petrel, ''Pterodroma alba'' (A) * Wedge-tailed shearwater, ''Ardenna pacificus'' (A) * Christmas shearwater, ''Puffinus nativitatis'' (A) * Tropical shearwater, ''Puffinus bailloni'' (A)

Frigatebirds

Order: SuliformesFamily: Fregatidae Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black and white, or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colored inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. They are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for days at a time. * Lesser frigatebird, ''Fregata ariel'' *

Great frigatebird The great frigatebird (''Fregata minor'') is a large seabird in the frigatebird family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific (including the Galapagos Islands) and Indian Oceans, as well as a tiny population in the South At ...

, ''Fregata minor''

Boobies and gannets

Order: SuliformesFamily: Sulidae The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish. * Masked booby, ''Sula dactylatra'' (A) *

Brown booby The brown booby (''Sula leucogaster'') is a large seabird of the booby family Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious brow ...

, ''Sula leucogaster'' *

Red-footed booby The red-footed booby (''Sula sula'') is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. Adults always have red feet, but the colour of the plumage varies. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings. They are f ...

, ''Sula sula''

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Ardeidae The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns,

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

s, and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and warier. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted. * Pacific reef-heron, ''Egretta sacra''

References

Specific

General

* * {{cite book , last1=Clements , first1=James F. , url=https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ , title=The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2021 , last2=Schulenberg , first2=Thomas S. , last3=Illif , first3=Marshall J. , last4=Billerman , first4=Shawn M. , last5=Fredericks , first5=T. A. , last6=Gerbracht , first6=J. A. , last7=Lepage , first7=Daniel , last8=Sullivan , first8=Brian L. , last9=Wood , first9=Christopher L. , date=2021 , publisher=Cornell University Press , edition=6th , series=15 , ref=none Tuvalu

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

' '