List of birds of Mauritius

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, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus • Mauritius duck, Anas theodori (X) • White-faced whistling duck, Dendrocygna viduata • Fulvous whistling duck, Dendrocygna bicolor • Greylag goose, Anser anser • Muscovy duck, Cairina moschata ==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. • Ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus (I) • Silver pheasant, Lophura nycthemera • Chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus • Gray francolin, Ortygornis pondicerianus • 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 ==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) • Mauritius wood-pigeon, Columba thiriouxi (X) • Pink pigeon, Nesoenas mayeri (E) • Mauritius turtle-dove, Nesoenas cicur (X) • Rodrigues turtle-dove, Nesoenas rodericanus (X) • Malagasy turtle-dove, Nesoenas picturatus (I) • Spotted dove, Spilopelia chinensis (I) • Laughing dove, Spilopelia senegalensis (I) • Eurasian collared dove, Streptopelia decaocto • 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 • Mascarene swiftlet, Aerodramus francicus (E) • 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 • Red rail, Aphanapteryx bonasia (X) • Rodrigues rail, Erythromachus leguati (X) • Buff-banded rail, Gallirallus philippensis • Eurasian moorhen, Gallinula chloropus (A) • Mascarene coot, Fulica newtonii (X) • Allen's gallinule, Porphyrio alleni • African swamphen, Porphyrio madagascariensis ==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) • 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. • 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 • Gray-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 • Oriental pratincole, Glareola maldivarum • 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 jaeger, 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. 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 "true 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 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. • Lesser frigatebird, Fregata ariel • Great frigatebird, 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, Sula leucogaster • Red-footed booby, Sula sula (A) • Abbott's booby, Papasula abbotti • Mascarene booby, Papasula abbotti nelsoni (X) • Australasian gannet, Morus serrator (Ex) ==Herons, egrets and bitterns==