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List of birds of the Marshall Islands facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Marshall Islands are home to many amazing birds! This article lists all the different bird species that have been seen there. In total, 109 kinds of birds have been recorded. Three of these were brought to the islands by people.

This list follows how birds are grouped and named by The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition. This means the families and species are organized in a specific way. Birds that were introduced by humans or are rarely seen are still counted in the total number for the Marshall Islands.

You'll see some special tags next to certain bird names:

  • (A) Accidental - This bird rarely visits the Marshall Islands. It's usually just passing through by chance.
  • (I) Introduced - Humans brought this bird to the Marshall Islands.
  • (Ex) Extirpated - This bird used to live in the Marshall Islands but is no longer found there. However, it still lives in other parts of the world.

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are perfect for living in water. They have webbed feet, flat bills, and oily feathers. This special oil helps their feathers shed water, keeping them dry.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Similar Birds

Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae

The Phasianidae family includes birds like quails, partridges, and pheasants. They are mostly ground-dwelling birds. They are usually plump with broad, short wings.

Pigeons and Doves

Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies. They have short necks and thin bills. Their bills also have a soft, fleshy part called a cere near the base.

  • Kosrae fruit-dove, Ptilinopus hernsheimi
  • Micronesian imperial-pigeon, Ducula oceanica

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae

The Cuculidae family includes cuckoos and roadrunners. These birds come in different sizes. They have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Some cuckoos are known for laying their eggs in other birds' nests.

  • Long-tailed koel, Urodynamis taitensis

Swifts

Order: Caprimulgiformes Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs. They almost never land on the ground. Instead, they perch on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings. These wings look like a crescent moon or a boomerang.

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds. It includes rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. They usually live in thick plants near water, like lakes or swamps. They are often shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes. This helps them walk on soft, uneven ground. They tend to have short, round wings and are not strong fliers.

  • White-browed crake, Poliolimnas cinereus (A)

Stilts and Avocets

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds. It includes avocets and stilts. Avocets have long legs and bills that curve upwards. Stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

Plovers and Lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae

The Charadriidae family includes plovers and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds. They have compact bodies, short, thick necks, and long, pointed wings. You can find them in open areas all over the world, often near water.

Sandpipers and Similar Birds

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large family of shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, godwits, and snipes. Most of these birds eat small bugs. They pick them out of mud or soil. Their legs and bills vary in length. This allows different species to feed in the same area without competing for food.

Pratincoles and Coursers

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Glareolidae

Glareolidae is a family of wading birds. It includes pratincoles and coursers. Pratincoles have short legs, long pointed wings, and long forked tails. Coursers have long legs, short wings, and long bills that curve downwards.

Skuas and Jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Stercorariidae

The Stercorariidae family includes medium to large birds. They usually have grey or brown feathers. They often have white marks on their wings. These birds nest on the ground in cooler regions. They are also long-distance travelers.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds. It includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are usually grey or white. They often have black marks on their heads or wings. They have strong, somewhat long bills and webbed feet. Terns are typically grey or white with black marks on their heads. Most terns catch fish by diving. Some pick insects off the water's surface. Terns can live for a long time, sometimes over 30 years.

Tropicbirds

Order: Phaethontiformes Family: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds found in tropical oceans. They have very long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.

Albatrosses

Order: Procellariiformes Family: Diomedeidae

Albatrosses are some of the largest flying birds. The great albatrosses have the biggest wingspans of any living bird.

Southern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes Family: Oceanitidae

Southern storm-petrels are related to petrels. They are the smallest seabirds. They eat tiny sea creatures and small fish. They pick them from the water's surface, often while hovering. Their flight looks like fluttering, sometimes like a bat.

Northern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes Family: Hydrobatidae

Northern storm-petrels are also related to petrels. They are among the smallest seabirds. They feed on small sea creatures and fish. They pick them from the surface, often while hovering. Their flight is fluttering and can look like a bat's.

Shearwaters and Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes Family: Procellariidae

Procellariids are a main group of medium-sized "true petrels." They have nostrils that are joined together. They also have a long outer primary feather that works well for flying.

Frigatebirds

Order: Suliformes Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds found over tropical oceans. They are big, black and white, or all black. They have long wings and deeply forked tails. Male frigatebirds have colorful throat pouches that can inflate. They cannot swim or walk well, and they can't take off from flat ground. They have the largest wingspan compared to their body weight of any bird. This means they are mostly in the air, able to fly for over a week!

Boobies and Gannets

Order: Suliformes Family: Sulidae

The sulids include gannets and boobies. Both are medium to large seabirds that live near coasts. They dive headfirst into the water to catch fish.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Ardeidae

The Ardeidae family includes bitterns, herons, and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds. They have long necks and legs. Bitterns usually have shorter necks and are more cautious. When flying, birds in this family pull their necks back. This is different from other long-necked birds like storks.

Owls

Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are small to large birds of prey. They hunt at night and are usually alone. They have big eyes that face forward and good hearing. They also have a hawk-like beak. A circle of feathers around each eye helps them hear better.

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds. They have large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Swallows

Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae

The Hirundinidae family is made up of birds that catch food while flying. They have slender, smooth bodies. They also have long, pointed wings and a short bill with a wide opening. Their feet are good for perching, not walking. Their front toes are partly joined at the base.

Bulbuls

Order: Passeriformes Family: Pycnonotidae

Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colorful with yellow, red, or orange patches. But most are dull, with plain olive-brown to black feathers. Some species have noticeable crests on their heads.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized birds. They fly strongly and directly. They often gather in large groups. They prefer open areas. Starlings eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a shiny, metallic look.

Old World Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small birds. They are generally plump, brown or grey. They have short tails and strong, short beaks. Sparrows mainly eat seeds, but they also eat small insects.

See also

  • List of birds
  • Lists of birds by region
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List of birds of the Marshall Islands Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.