The Marshall Islands are home to over 100 avian species. Most of these are waterbirds, sea birds, or migratory birds that visit the islands. Some of the avifauna seen include the Black Noddy, the Micronesian Megapode, and the White Tern.
List of Common Birds Found in the Marshall Islands
Native Birds
- Black Drongo
- Black-faced Shrikebill
- Black-naped Tern
- Black Noddy
- Black-winged Stilt
- Bridled White-eye
- Brown Booby
- Brown Noddy
- Buff-banded Rail
- Caroline Islands Swiftlet
- Chestnut-bellied Imperial Pigeon
- Christmas Shearwater
- Chuuk Monarch
- Collared Kingfisher
- Common Sandpiper
- Fairy Tern
- Golden Whistler
- Golden White-eye
- Gray-faced Buzzard
- Gray-tailed Tattler
- Gray Wagtail
- Gray Whistler
- Great Crested Tern
- Great Frigatebird
- Guam Rail
- Kosrae Fruit-dove
- Lesser Frigatebird
- Long-tailed Broadbill
- Long-tailed Koel
- Mangrove Golden Whistler
- Mariana Crow
- Mariana Fruit Dove
- Mariana Swiftlet
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Masked Booby
- Micronesian Honeyeater
- Micronesian Imperial Pigeon
- Micronesian Kingfisher
- Micronesian Megapode
- Micronesian Myna
- Micronesian Myzomela
- Micronesian Pigeon
- Micronesian Scops Owl
- Micronesian Starling
- Micronesian Storm Petrel
- Northern Pintail
- Northern Shoveler
- Pacific Golden Plover
- Pacific Reef Heron
- Pacific Swallow
- Pacific Swift
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Pohnpei Lorikeet
- Pomarine Jaeger
- Red-capped Plover
- Red-footed Booby
- Red-necked Stint
- Rota White-eye
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Rufous Fantail
- Rufous Night Heron
- Sanderling
- Slaty-breasted Rail
- Sooty Tern
- Spot-billed Duck
- Wandering Tattler
- Whimbrel
- White-bellied Swiftlet
- White-browed Crake
- White-tailed Tropicbird
- White Tern
- White-throated Ground Dove
- Wood Sandpiper
- Yellow-bibbed Lory
- Little Tern
- Common Tern
- Laysan Albatross
- Kermadec Petrel
- Tahiti Petrel
- Streaked Shearwater
- Buller’s Shearwater
- Cook’s Petrel
Non-native Birds
- Black-winged Stilt
- Bridled Tern
- Cackling Goose
- Canvasback
- Common Greenshank
- Common Ringed Plover
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Franklin’s Gull
- Garganey
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Hudsonian Godwit
- Laughing Gull
- Oriental Pratincole
- Pied Stilt
- Red Junglefowl
- Red Knot
- Red-vented Bulbul
- Ruff
- Semipalmated Plover
- Snow Goose
- Tufted Duck
- White-browed Crake
Some of the best sites for birdwatching in the Marshall Islands include Majuro Atoll, Laura Beach, Arno Atoll, Jaluit Atoll, and Ailinglaplap Atoll. The peak season for birdwatching in the Marshall Islands is generally during the dry season, typically from December to April. This period offers favorable weather conditions with less rainfall and increased bird activity. Migratory birds from the northern hemisphere also visit the islands during this time, further adding to the diversity of bird species.
