The Cook Islands is a stunning tropical paradise in the South Pacific known for its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and rich biodiversity. It enjoys a tropical climate throughout the year, making it home to around 100 birds.
Several birds are endemic to the Cook Islands, including the Atiu Swiftlet, the Cook Islands Fruit Dove, and the Mangaia Kingfisher.
List of Common Birds Found in the Cook Islands
Native Birds
- Atiu Swiftlet
- Black-bellied Plover
- Black-naped Tern
- Black Winged Petrel
- Blue Lorikeet
- Blue-gray Noddy
- Bristle-thighed Curlew
- Brown Noddy
- Buller’s Shearwater
- Bulwer’s Petrel
- Cape Petrel
- Chattering Kingfisher
- Chestnut-breasted Munia
- Christmas Shearwater
- Collared Petrel
- Common Tern
- Cook Islands Fruit Dove
- Cook Islands Ground Dove
- Cook Islands Rail
- Cook Islands Reed Warbler
- Cook Islands Seabird
- Cook Islands Storm Petrel
- Cook Islands Swallow
- Cook Islands Thrush
- Cook Islands White-eye
- Eastern Spot-billed Duck
- Gould’s Petrel
- Great Frigate Bird
- Gray Noddy
- Gray-backed Tern
- Gray-tailed Tattler
- Herald Petrel
- Long-tailed Cuckoo
- Mangaia Kingfisher
- Mangaia Rail
- Masked Booby
- Murphy’s Petrel
- Pacific Black Duck
- Pacific Golden Plover
- Pacific Imperial Pigeon
- Pacific Reef Heron
- Polynesian Starling
- Polynesian Storm-petrel
- Polynesian Triller
- Rarotonga Flycatcher
- Rarotonga Fruit Dove
- Rarotonga Monarch
- Rarotonga Pigeon
- Rarotonga Reed Warbler
- Rarotonga Starling
- Rarotonga Warbler
- Red-tailed Tropic Bird
- Rimatara Lorikeet
- Rimatara Reed Warbler
- Rock Pigeon
- Royal Albatross
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Sanderling
- Sooty Shearwater
- Sooty Tern
- Tahiti Petrel
- Tropical Shearwater
- Wandering Tattler
- White-bellied Storm-petrel
- White-tailed Tropicbird
- White Tern
- Lesser Frigatebird
- Great Frigatebird
- Red-footed Booby
Non-native Birds
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Black-browed Albatross
- Black Noddy
- Common Myna
- Common Sandpiper
- Cook’s Petrel
- Eastern Marsh-harrier
- Great Crested Tern
- Jungle Myna
- Kermadec Petrel
- Kuhl’s Lorikeet
- Laughing Gull
- Leach’s Storm-petrel
- Mallard
- Masked Lapwing
- Northern Giant-petrel
- Northern Pintail
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Phoenix Petrel
- Red Junglefowl
- Southern Giant-petrel
- Spotless Crake
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Striated Heron
- Wandering Albatross
- Wedge-tailed Shearwater
- Whimbrel
- White-faced Storm-petrel
- White-necked Petrel
- Wilson’s Storm-petrel
While birding may not be the primary focus of tourism in the Cook Islands, some excellent birdwatching opportunities remain. Some sites include Takitumu Conservation Area, Mangaia Island, and Aitutaki Lagoon. The best time to experience the region’s avifauna is during the migratory season between November and April. Also, the dry season from May to October is a good time to navigate the forests of the archipelago.
