Birds of Vanuatu

Vanuatu is home to close to 200 species of birds. Interestingly, the island nation has few terrestrial species, as the way the country’s forests have developed benefits animals capable of flight, like flying foxes and bats, as well as avifauna.

Some notable avian species include the endemic Vanuatu Megapode, the Vanuatu Kingfisher, and the Mountain Starling.

List of Common Birds Found in Vanuatu

Native Birds

Australasian Gannet
Beach Kingfisher
Black-faced Shrikebill
Black-naped Tern
Black Noddy
Black-winged Petrel
Blue-crowned Lorikeet
Blyth’s Hornbill
Brown Goshawk
Brown Noddy
Buff-banded Rail
Buff-bellied Monarch
Cardinal Myzomela
Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher
Chestnut-bellied Monarch
Coconut Lorikeet
Collared Kingfisher
Collared Lory
Collared Petrel
Collared Sparrowhawk
Common White Tern
Fan-tailed Gerygone
Glossy Swiftlet
Gray-backed Storm Petrel
Gray-eared Honeyeater
Gray-faced Petrel
Gray Fantail
Gray-green Fruit Dove
Gray Plover
Gray Ternlet
Gray-throated White-eye
Great Crested Tern
Herald Petrel
Hooded Pitta
Island Leaf Warbler
Island Monarch
Island Thrush
Kermadec Petrel
Lesser Frigatebird
Lesser Sand Plover
Little Pied Cormorant
Long-tailed Myna
Long-tailed Triller
Masked Booby
Melanesian Flycatcher
Melanesian Kingfisher
Melanesian Whistler
Metallic Pigeon
Mountain Starling
Northern Shrikebill
Oceanic Eclectus Parrot
Orange-footed Scrubfowl
Pacific Black Duck
Pacific Black Swan
Pacific Emerald Dove
Pacific Golden Plover
Pacific Imperial Pigeon
Pacific Long-tailed Cuckoo
Pacific Reef Heron
Pacific Robin
Pacific Swallow
Palm Lorikeet
Pied Goshawk
Pied Imperial Pigeon
Polynesian Starling
Polynesian Storm Petrel
Polynesian Swiftlet
Polynesian Triller
Rainbow Bee-eater
Red-bellied Fruit Dove
Red-bellied Myzomela
Red-footed Booby
Red-headed Myzomela
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Red-throated Lorikeet
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
Rusty-winged Starling
Sacred Kingfisher
Santa Cruz Ground Dove
Shining Flycatcher
Silvereye
Solomon Islands Cuckooshrike
Solomon Islands Sea Eagle
Solomons Cuckooshrike
Sooty Tern
Southern Shrikebill
South Melanesian Cuckooshrike
Spangled Drongo
Stout-billed Cuckooshrike
Streaked Fantail
Tahiti Petrel
Tanna Fruit Dove
Torresian Crow
Torresian Imperial Pigeon
Torresian Swamphen
Torres Strait Pigeon
Uniform Swiftlet
Vanikoro Swiftlet
Vanuatu Drongo
Vanuatu Honeyeater
Vanuatu Imperial Pigeon
Vanuatu Kingfisher
Vanuatu Megapode
Vanuatu Owlet-nightjar
Vanuatu Petrel
Vanuatu Scrubfowl
Vanuatu Starling
Vanuatu Streaked Fantail
Vanuatu White-eye
Varied Triller
Whimbrel
Whistling Kite
White-bellied Cuckooshrike
White-bellied Goshawk
White-bellied Honeyeater
White-breasted Woodswallow
White-capped Monarch
White-collared Monarch
White-faced Heron
White-faced Robin
White-necked Petrel
White-rumped Swiftlet
White-tailed Tropicbird
White-throated Honeyeater
White-throated Monarch

Non-native Birds

Chestnut-breasted Munia
Chestnut Munia
Common Myna
Common Waxbill
House Sparrow
Mallard
Red-browed Firetail
Red Junglefowl
Red-throated Parrotfinch
Rock Pigeon

Some of the best birding sites in Vanuatu include Mele Cascades, Vanuatu Tropical Garden, and Enratana Conservation Area. The peak birding season in Vanuatu generally coincides with the dry season, which typically runs from April to October.