There are 34 species of birds that have been recorded living in the wild in Nauru, one of which is endemic to the island and two of which have been introduced by humans. One species, the zebra finch, is now locally extinct on Nauru. Out of the 25 species of birds that have been confirmed to occur natively on Nauru, 18 are non-breeding visitors. Only two land birds, the Micronesian imperial-pigeon and the endemic Nauru reed warbler, breed on Nauru.[1] Three species occurring on Nauru are listed as being near-threatened on the IUCN Red List and two are listed as being vulnerable.[2][3][4][5][6]
Nauru is a small atoll in the Pacific Ocean with an equatorial climate. The island's environment has been described as one of the world's most modified due to surface mining for phosphate, bombing during World War II, and rapid urbanisation.[7] It was covered with tropical rainforest before the 19th century,[8] but its current vegetation consists of strand, shrubland, scattered coconut trees, and various ornamental and fruit trees. Habitat destruction has most likely caused a decline in the numbers of some species, such as the Micronesian imperial-pigeon and the black noddy.[7]
This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common 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 denote categories. Species without these tags are commonly occurring native species.
(A) Accidental – A species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Nauru.
(E) Endemic – A species endemic to Nauru.
(I) Introduced – A species introduced to Nauru as a direct or indirect consequence of human actions.
(Ex) Extirpated – A species that no longer occurs in Nauru although populations exist elsewhere.
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. They are brood parasites.[11]
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.[12]
Scolopacidae is a large, diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds that includes 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.[13]
Laridae is a family of seabirds consisting of gulls, terns, and skimmers. 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. Both species can be found inland near lakes and rivers, however gulls have adapted well to human presence and can often be found in urban centers.[14] Black noddies are extensively hunted as food in Nauru.[15]
Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.[16]
The procellariiforms are a group of medium-sized petrels, characterised by united nostrils with a medium nasal septum and a long outer functional primary flight feather.[17]
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 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.[18]
Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes.[20]
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.[21]
The family Acrocephalidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. Most have a generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds, or tall grass.[23]
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in structure and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colours and patterns.[24]
The violet-bellied hummingbird is a species of hummingbird characterized by the male's shimmering violet belly.
The crimson-headed partridge is a species of bird in the pheasant, partridge, and francolin family Phasianidae. Described by the British ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1879, it is the only species in the genus Haematortyx. It is endemic to Borneo, where it inhabits lower montane forest in the northern and central parts of the island. It is mainly found at elevations of 1,000–1,700 m (3,300–5,600 ft), but can be seen as low as 185 m (607 ft) and as high as 3,050 m (10,010 ft). Adult males have a striking appearance, with a dark blackish body and crimson red heads, necks, breasts, and undertail coverts. Females have a similar pattern, but with duller brownish-black colouration, orangish-red heads and breasts, and a brownish-black bill instead of a yellowish one. Juveniles are duller and have the crimson restricted to the top of the head.
The Bornean stubtail is a species of bird in the cettiid warbler family Cettiidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it inhabits forest floors and undergrowth in montane forests at elevations of 750–3,150 m (2,460–10,330 ft). It is a small, short-tailed warbler, measuring 9.5–10 cm (3.7–3.9 in) in length and having an average mass of 10.4 g (0.37 oz). The tops of the head and the upperparts are brown, with whitish underparts that turn grey at the sides of the breast and the flanks. The supercilium is long and buffish-brown, with an equally long dark grey eyestripe and a thin yellow eye-ring. Both sexes are similar.
Cercococcyx is a genus of cuckoos in the family Cuculidae, known as the long-tailed cuckoos.
The brown lory, also called Duyvenbode's lory, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae native to northern New Guinea.
The knob-billed fruit dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago.
The Timor green pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found on the islands of Rote and Timor. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Hose's broadbill is a species of bird in the family Calyptomenidae. It was described by the British naturalist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1892 and is named after the British zoologist Charles Hose, who collected the holotype of the species. It is 19–21 cm (7.5–8.3 in) long, with females weighing 92 g (3.2 oz) on average and males weighing 102–115 g (3.6–4.1 oz). Males are bright green and have conspicuous black spots on the wings, black markings on the head, blue underparts, black flight feathers, and a large green tuft covering most of the bill. Females have smaller forehead tufts, lime-green underparts with sky blue instead of azure blue on the undertail coverts, and lack black markings on the head, except for a black spot in front of the eye.
Whitehead's broadbill is a species of bird in the family Calyptomenidae. It is endemic to the mountain ranges of north-central Borneo, where it mainly inhabits montane forests and forest edges at elevations of 900–1,700 m (3,000–5,600 ft). It is 24–27 cm (9.4–10.6 in) long, with males weighing 142–171 g (5.0–6.0 oz) and females weighing 150–163 g (5.3–5.7 oz). Males are vivid green and have a black throat patch, black spots on the ear-coverts and back of the neck, and black markings and streaking all over the body. The tails and flight feathers are also blackish. Females are smaller and lack the black markings on the head and underparts. Juveniles look similar to adults but have fewer black markings.
The bare-necked umbrellabird is a species of bird in the family Cotingidae. It is found in the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and Panama. Bare-necked umbrellabirds live only in forests and their diet consists mainly of fruits.
Chlamydera is a genus of birds in the family Ptilonorhynchidae. All species found in Australia and/or New Guinea.
The bare-headed laughingthrush is a species of bird in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae. It is endemic to highland forests at elevations of 750–1,800 m (2,460–5,910 ft) in the mountain ranges of north-central Borneo, along with some outlying peaks. It is 25–26 cm (9.8–10.2 in) long, with both sexes similar in appearance. The head is brownish to greenish yellow and featherless. The area along the lower mandible has a bluish tinge. The rest of the body is dull blackish-brown tinged with grey. Juveniles have more feathers on the head, extending from the forehead to the crown.
The mountain sooty boubou, western boubou or mountain boubou, is a species of bird in the family Malaconotidae.
The cinnamon-rumped trogon is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae or Trogons which are some of the most colourful birds on Earth especially the quetzals found in the Neotropics. There is very little known about this family of birds as a whole and even less information on the cinnamon-rumped trogon.
The grey-lored broadbill is a species of bird in the broadbill family, Eurylaimidae. It is found in Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, and Myanmar. It was previously also found in Nepal, but is now likely extinct there.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.columb2.01. S2CID216304444. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Cuckoos (Cuculidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.cuculi1.01. S2CID241787139. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.charad1.01. S2CID216164780. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Sandpipers and Allies (Scolopacidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.scolop2.01. S2CID216445504. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Elphick, Jonathan (2019). The Handbook of Bird Families. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books. pp.127–129. ISBN0-2281-0119-0.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Tropicbirds (Phaethontidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.phaeth1.01. S2CID243054855. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Frigatebirds (Fregatidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.fregat1.01. S2CID242682341. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Boobies and Gannets (Sulidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.sulida1.01. S2CID216477098. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Pelicans (Pelecanidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.peleca1.01. S2CID241914362. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.alcedi1.01. S2CID242229243. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
↑ Winkler, David W.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Lovette, Irby J. (4 March 2020). Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.). "Waxbills and Allies (Estrildidae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bow.estril1.01. S2CID216266025. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
General
Clements, James F.; Schulenberg, Thomas S.; Illif, Marshall J.; Billerman, Shawn M.; Fredericks, T. A.; Gerbracht, J. A.; Lepage, Daniel; Sullivan, Brian L.; Wood, Christopher L. (2021). The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. 15 (6thed.). Cornell University Press.
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