Birds of Macquarie Island
Encyclopedia
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s. By far the majority of the breeding species are penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s, petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s and albatross
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
es. However, the bird list includes many vagrants, including passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
s, from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Four species of penguin breed on Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...
. The endemic Royal Penguin
Royal Penguin
The Royal Penguin inhabits the waters surrounding Antarctica. Royals look very much like Macaroni Penguins, but have a white face and chin instead of the Macaronis' black visage. They are long and weigh . Males are larger than females...
has a population estimated at 850,000. There are also 100,000 breeding pairs of King Penguin
King Penguin
The King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin at about , second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p...
, the third largest such colony in the world. Gentoo
Gentoo penguin
The Gentoo Penguin , Pygoscelis papua, is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. The gentoo penguin has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have...
and Rockhopper Penguin
Rockhopper penguin
The rockhopper penguins are three closely related taxa of crested penguins that have been traditionally treated as a single species and are sometimes split into two or three species. Not all experts agree on the classification of these penguins...
s also breed there. In the past the penguins, mainly the Royal and King Penguins, were exploited for their oil, a practice which ceased in 1919.
The four breeding species of albatross are all threatened by long-line fishing
Long-line fishing
Longline fishing is a commercial fishing technique. It uses a long line, called the main line, with baited hooks attached at intervals by means of branch lines called "snoods". A snood is a short length of line, attached to the main line using a clip or swivel, with the hook at the other end....
when feeding away from the island, including the most numerous, the Light-mantled Sooty Albatross with 2000 breeding pairs, and the Wandering Albatross
Wandering Albatross
The Wandering Albatross, Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described, and was long considered the same species as the Tristan...
, with fewer than ten pairs breeding each year.
Many species of petrel breed on Macquarie. However, they have been adversely affected by the introduction of Black Rat
Black Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
s, House Mice
House mouse
The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....
, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s and cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s, and the small Blue Petrel
Blue Petrel
The Blue Petrel is a small seabird in the family Procellariidae. This small petrel is the only member of the genus Halobaena but is closely allied to the prions.-Taxonomy:...
breeding population on the island is considered to be Critically Endangered. Weka
Weka
The Weka or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand, where four subspecies are recognized. Weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit...
s were introduced by sealers in the mid 19th century and flourished, adding to the predation threat. With the eradication of the cats and the Wekas, and an ongoing program to control the rabbits (which cause erosion), there are signs that the breeding petrel populations are beginning to recover. The long-term aim is to eradicate the rodents and rabbits as well.
The Macquarie Island Parakeet
Macquarie Island Parakeet
The Macquarie Parakeet , also known as the Macquarie Island Parakeet, is an extinct parrot from subantarctic Macquarie Island, an outlying part of Tasmania, Australia, in the Southern Ocean.-Taxonomy:...
became extinct about 1891. The Macquarie Island Rail
Macquarie Island Rail
The Macquarie Island Rail, Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis, is an extinct subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail endemic to Macquarie Island, a subantarctic island part of the state of Tasmania, Australia...
, an endemic subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail
Buff-banded Rail
The Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis is a distinctively coloured, highly dispersive, medium-sized rail of the family Rallidae....
, disappeared about the same time.
List of birds
- AnatidaeAnatidaeAnatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
- Grey TealGrey TealThe Grey Teal, Anas gracilis is a dabbling duck found in open wetlands in New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands....
, Anas gracilis - vagrant - MallardMallardThe Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
, Anas platyrhynchos - vagrant, breeding recorded - Pacific Black DuckPacific Black DuckThe Pacific Black Duck is a dabbling duck found in much of Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and many islands in the southwestern Pacific, reaching to the Caroline Islands in the north and French Polynesia in the east. It is usually called the Grey Duck in New Zealand...
, Anas superciliosa - breeding, hybridising with Mallard
- Grey Teal
- Spheniscidae
- Emperor PenguinEmperor PenguinThe Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching in height and weighing anywhere from . The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly,...
, Aptenodytes forsteri - vagrant - King PenguinKing PenguinThe King Penguin is the second largest species of penguin at about , second only to the Emperor Penguin. There are two subspecies—A. p. patagonicus and A. p...
, Aptenodytes patagonicus - breeding, Near Threatened - Rockhopper PenguinRockhopper penguinThe rockhopper penguins are three closely related taxa of crested penguins that have been traditionally treated as a single species and are sometimes split into two or three species. Not all experts agree on the classification of these penguins...
, Eudyptes chrysocome - breeding, Vulnerable - Snares Crested Penguin, Eudyptes robustus - vagrant
- Royal PenguinRoyal PenguinThe Royal Penguin inhabits the waters surrounding Antarctica. Royals look very much like Macaroni Penguins, but have a white face and chin instead of the Macaronis' black visage. They are long and weigh . Males are larger than females...
, Eudyptes schlegeli - endemic species, Vulnerable - Erect-crested PenguinErect-crested PenguinThe Erect-crested Penguin is a penguin from New Zealand. It breeds on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands.This is a small-to-medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, at and weighing . As in all penguin species, the male is slightly larger than the female and the birds weigh the most...
, Eudyptes sclateri - vagrant - Adelie PenguinAdelie PenguinThe Adélie Penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, is a species of penguin common along the entire Antarctic coast. They are among the most southerly distributed of all seabirds, as are the Emperor Penguin, the South Polar Skua, the Wilson's Storm Petrel, the Snow Petrel, and the Antarctic Petrel...
, Pygoscelis adeliae - vagrant - Chinstrap PenguinChinstrap PenguinThe Chinstrap Penguin is a species of penguin which is found in the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, the South Orkneys, South Shetland, South Georgia, Bouvet Island and Balleny...
, Pygoscelis antarctica - vagrant - Gentoo PenguinGentoo penguinThe Gentoo Penguin , Pygoscelis papua, is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. The gentoo penguin has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have...
, Pygoscelis papua – breeding, Vulnerable
- Emperor Penguin
- ProcellariidaeProcellariidaeThe family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
- Cape PetrelCape PetrelThe Cape Petrel also called Cape Pigeon or Pintado Petrel, is a common seabird of the Southern Ocean from the family Procellariidae. It is the only member of the genus Daption, and is allied to the fulmarine petrels, and the Giant Petrels. It is also sometimes known as the Cape Fulmar...
, Daption capense - breeding - Southern FulmarSouthern FulmarThe Southern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialoides, is a seabird of the Southern Hemisphere. Along with the Northern Fulmar, F. glacialis, it belongs to the fulmar genus Fulmarus in the family Procellariidae, the true petrels...
, Fulmarus glacialoides - vagrant - Blue PetrelBlue PetrelThe Blue Petrel is a small seabird in the family Procellariidae. This small petrel is the only member of the genus Halobaena but is closely allied to the prions.-Taxonomy:...
, Halobaena caerulea - breeding, Critically Endangered - Kerguelen PetrelKerguelen PetrelThe Kerguelen Petrel is a small slate-grey seabird in the family Procellariidae. The species has been described as a "taxonomic oddball", being placed for a long time in Pterodroma before being split out in 1942 into its own genus Lugensa...
, Lugensa brevirostris - vagrant - Southern Giant-Petrel, Macronectes giganteus - breeding, Endangered
- Northern Giant-Petrel, Macronectes halli - breeding, Vulnerable
- Slender-billed PrionSlender-billed PrionThe Slender-billed Prion or Thin-billed Prion, Pachyptila belcheri, is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in the southern oceans.-Taxonomy:...
, Pachyptila belcheri - vagrant - Antarctic PrionAntarctic PrionThe Antarctic Prion, Pachyptila desolata, also known as the Dove Prion, or Totorore in Maori, is the largest of the prions, a genus of small petrels of the Southern Ocean.-Taxonomy:...
, Pachyptila desolata - breeding, Vulnerable - Fairy PrionFairy PrionThe Fairy Prion is a small seabird with the standard prion plumage of black upperparts and white underneath with an "M" wing marking.-Taxonomy:...
, Pachyptila turtur - breeding, Endangered - Snow PetrelSnow PetrelThe Snow Petrel is the only member of the genus Pagodroma. It is one of only three birds that breed exclusively in Antarctica and has been seen at the South Pole. It has the most southerly breeding distribution of any bird.-Taxonomy:...
, Pagodroma nivea - vagrant - Common Diving-Petrel, Pelecanoides urinatrix - breeding
- White-chinned PetrelWhite-chinned PetrelThe White-chinned Petrel or Cape Hen, Procellaria aequinoctialis, is a large shearwater in the family Procellariidae. It ranges around the Southern Oceans as far north as South Australia, Peru and Namibia, and breeds colonially on scattered islands....
, Procellaria aequinoctialis - vagrant - Grey PetrelGrey PetrelThe Grey Petrel , also called the Brown Petrel, Pediunker or Grey Shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae, or petrel family...
, Procellaria cinerea - breeding, Endangered - Mottled PetrelMottled PetrelThe Mottled Petrel is a species of seabird and a member of the gadfly petrels. The bird is 33-35 cm in size, with a 74-82 cm wingspan....
, Pterodroma inexpectata - vagrant - White-headed PetrelWhite-headed PetrelThe White-headed Petrel , also known as the White-headed Fulmar is a species of seabird in the petrel family, or Procellariidae. Its length is about 400 mm....
, Pterodroma lessonii - breeding, Vulnerable - Great-winged PetrelGreat-winged PetrelThe Great-winged Petrel or Grey-faced Petrel, Pterodroma macroptera, is a petrel. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name oi and as a muttonbird.- Taxonomy :...
, Pterodroma macroptera - vagrant - Soft-plumaged PetrelSoft-plumaged PetrelThe Soft-plumaged Petrel is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.-Distribution:It breeds on islands in the Southern Hemisphere, nesting on Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, the Prince Edward Islands, Crozet Islands, Macquarie Island, and on the Antipodes Islands of New Zealand. Small...
, Pterodroma mollis - possibly breeding - Little ShearwaterLittle ShearwaterThe Little Shearwater is a small shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae.mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data indicates that the former North Atlantic Little Shearwater group is closer to Audubon's Shearwater , and myrtae being closer to the Newell's and possibly Townsend's Shearwater...
, Puffinus assimilis - vagrant - Sooty ShearwaterSooty ShearwaterThe Sooty Shearwater is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. In New Zealand it is also known by its Māori name tītī and as "muttonbird", like its relatives the Wedge-tailed Shearwater and the Australian Short-tailed Shearwater The Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus) is...
, Puffinus griseus - breeding - Short-tailed ShearwaterShort-tailed ShearwaterThe Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...
, Puffinus tenuirostris - vagrant - Antarctic PetrelAntarctic PetrelThe Antarctic Petrel is a boldly marked dark brown and white petrel, found in Antarctica, most commonly in the Ross and Weddell seas. They eat Antarctic krill, fish, and small squid...
, Thalassoica antarctica – vagrant
- Cape Petrel
- Diomedeidae
- Shy AlbatrossShy AlbatrossThe Shy Albatross or Shy Mollymawk, Thalassarche cauta, is a medium sized albatross that breeds off Australia and New Zealand's sub-Antarctic islands and ranges extensively across the Southern Ocean...
, Diomedea cauta - vagrant - Grey-headed AlbatrossGrey-headed AlbatrossThe Grey-headed Albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma, also known as the Grey-headed Mollymawk, is a large seabird from the albatross family. It has a circumpolar distribution, nesting on isolated islands in the Southern Ocean and feeding at high latitudes, further south than any of the other...
, Diomedea chrysostoma - breeding, Endangered - Royal AlbatrossRoyal AlbatrossRoyal Albatross may refer to:* Northern Royal Albatross* Southern Royal AlbatrossNote: Some authorities have yet to split this species such as the SACC or James Clements, in that case, Royal Albatross refers to both Species....
, Diomedea epomophora - vagrant - Wandering AlbatrossWandering AlbatrossThe Wandering Albatross, Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described, and was long considered the same species as the Tristan...
, Diomedea exulans - breeding, Critically Endangered - Black-browed AlbatrossBlack-browed AlbatrossThe Black-browed Albatross or Black-browed Mollymawk, Thalassarche melanophrys, is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae, and it is the most widespread and common albatross.-Taxonomy:...
, Diomedea melanophris - breeding, Endangered - Sooty AlbatrossSooty AlbatrossThe Sooty Albatross, Dark-mantled Sooty Albatross or Dark-mantled Albatross, Phoebetria fusca, is a species of bird in the albatross family...
, Phoebetria fusca - vagrant - Light-mantled Sooty Albatross, Phoebetria palpebrata – breeding, Vulnerable
- Shy Albatross
- Hydrobatidae
- Grey-backed Storm-PetrelGrey-backed Storm-petrelThe Grey-backed Storm Petrel is a species of seabird in the Hydrobatidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Garrodia which was named by William Alexander Forbes in 1881 after Alfred Henry Garrod, while the specific descriptor is an allusion to the Nereids, the sea nymphs of Greek...
, Garrodia nereis - possibly breeding, Endangered - Wilson's Storm-PetrelWilson's Storm-petrelWilson's Storm Petrel , also known as Wilson's Petrel, is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family. It is one of the most abundant bird species in the world and has a circumpolar distribution mainly in the seas of the southern hemisphere but extending northwards during the summer of the northern...
, Oceanites oceanicus - possibly breeding, Vulnerable
- Grey-backed Storm-Petrel
- Phalacrocoracidae
- Great CormorantGreat CormorantThe Great Cormorant , known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds...
, Phalacrocorax carbo - vagrant - Macquarie ShagMacquarie ShagThe Macquarie Shag , Macquarie Island Shag or Macquarie Island Cormorant, is a marine cormorant native to Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean, about halfway between Australia and Antarctica....
, Phalacrocorax purpurascens - endemic species, Vulnerable
- Great Cormorant
- SulidaeSulidaeThe bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulidas, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The ten species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula...
- Australasian Gannet, Morus serrator – vagrant
- Ardeidae
- Great EgretGreat EgretThe Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
, Ardea alba - vagrant - Cattle EgretCattle EgretThe Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
, Ardea ibis - vagrant - Little EgretLittle EgretThe Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....
, Egretta garzetta - vagrant - White-faced HeronWhite-faced HeronThe White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, also known as the White-fronted Heron, and incorrectly as the Grey Heron, or Blue Crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of the Subantarctic, and...
, Egretta novaehollandiae - vagrant - Nankeen Night HeronNankeen Night HeronThe Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus, also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron. It is found throughout much of Australia except the arid inland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia...
, Nycticorax caledonicus – vagrant
- Great Egret
- ThreskiornithidaeThreskiornithidaeThe family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
- Glossy IbisGlossy IbisThe Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...
, Plegadis falcinellus – vagrant
- Glossy Ibis
- AccipitridaeAccipitridaeThe Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
- Swamp HarrierSwamp HarrierThe Swamp Harrier also known as the Marsh Harrier, Australasian Harrier, Kāhu, Swamp-hawk or New Zealand Hawk is a large, slim bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
, Circus approximans – vagrant
- Swamp Harrier
- RallidaeRallidaeThe rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
- Eurasian CootEurasian CootThe Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, also known as Coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian Coot.-Distribution:...
, Fulica atra - vagrant - WekaWekaThe Weka or woodhen is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand, where four subspecies are recognized. Weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit...
, Gallirallus australis - introduced, extinct - Macquarie Island RailMacquarie Island RailThe Macquarie Island Rail, Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis, is an extinct subspecies of the Buff-banded Rail endemic to Macquarie Island, a subantarctic island part of the state of Tasmania, Australia...
, Gallirallus philippensis macquariensis - endemic subspecies, extinct - Baillon's CrakeBaillon's CrakeThe Baillon's Crake is a very small waterbird of the family Rallidae.-Distribution:Their breeding habitat is sedge beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and across Asia. They used to breed in Great Britain up to the mid-19th century, but the western European population declined through drainage....
, Porzana pusilla – vagrant
- Eurasian Coot
- ScolopacidaeScolopacidaeThe sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
- Ruddy TurnstoneRuddy TurnstoneThe Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
, Arenaria interpres - vagrant - Red KnotRed KnotThe Red Knot, Calidris canutus , is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot...
, Calidris canutus - vagrant - Red-necked StintRed-necked StintThe Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
, Calidris ruficollis - vagrant - Latham's SnipeLatham's SnipeLatham's Snipe, Gallinago hardwickii, also known as Japanese Snipe, is a medium-sized , long-billed, migratory wader.-Identification:...
, Gallinago hardwickii - vagrant - Bar-tailed GodwitBar-tailed GodwitThe Bar-tailed Godwit is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World...
, Limosa lapponica - vagrant - Red-necked PhalaropeRed-necked PhalaropeThe Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus, is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a wader, winters at sea on tropical oceans....
, Phalaropus lobatus - vagrant - Common Greenshank, Tringa nebularia – vagrant
- Ruddy Turnstone
- RecurvirostridaeRecurvirostridaeRecurvirostridae is a family of birds in the wader suborder Charadrii. It contains two distinct groups of birds, the avocets and the stilts .-Description and diet:...
- Black-winged StiltBlack-winged StiltThe Black-winged Stilt or Common Stilt is a widely distributed very long-legged wader in the avocet and stilt family . Opinions differ as to whether the birds treated under the scientific name H. himantopus ought to be treated as a single species and if not, how many species to recognize...
, Himantopus himantopus – vagrant
- Black-winged Stilt
- CharadriidaeCharadriidaeThe bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
- Grey PloverGrey PloverThe Grey Plover , known as the Black-bellied Plover in North America, is a medium-sized plover breeding in arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding....
, Pluvialis squatarola - vagrant - Masked LapwingMasked LapwingThe Masked Lapwing , previously known as the Masked Plover and often called the Spur-winged Plover or just Plover in its native range, is a large, common and conspicuous bird native to Australia, particularly the northern and eastern parts of the continent...
, Vanellus miles – vagrant
- Grey Plover
- Laridae
- Great SkuaGreat SkuaThe Great Skua, Stercorarius skua, is a large seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae. In Britain, it is sometimes known by the name Bonxie, a Shetland name of unknown origin.-Description:...
, Catharacta skua - breeding - Kelp GullKelp GullThe Kelp Gull , also known as the Dominican Gull, breeds on coasts and islands through much of the southern hemisphere. The race L. d. vetula occurs around southern Africa, and nominate L. d...
, Larus dominicanus - breeding - Silver GullSilver GullThe Silver Gull also known simply as "seagull" in Australia, is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly coastal areas. The South African Hartlaub's Gull and the New Zealand Red-billed Gull The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus...
, Larus novaehollandiae - vagrant - Arctic TernArctic TernThe Arctic Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America...
, Sterna paradisaea - vagrant - Antarctic TernAntarctic TernThe Antarctic Tern is a typical tern. It ranges throughout the southern oceans. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related Arctic Tern, but is stockier, and the wing tips are grey instead of blackish in flight...
, Sterna vittata – breeding, Endangered
- Great Skua
- Psittacidae
- Macquarie Island ParakeetMacquarie Island ParakeetThe Macquarie Parakeet , also known as the Macquarie Island Parakeet, is an extinct parrot from subantarctic Macquarie Island, an outlying part of Tasmania, Australia, in the Southern Ocean.-Taxonomy:...
, Cyanoramphus erythrotis - endemic species, extinct
- Macquarie Island Parakeet
- Apodidae
- Fork-tailed SwiftFork-tailed SwiftFork-tailed Swift is the historic name of a kind of bird which has since been divided taxonomically into four species. It could refer to any of four different species of swifts:*Pacific Swift, Apus pacificus*Salim Ali's Swift, Apus salimali...
, Apus pacificus - vagrant - White-throated NeedletailWhite-throated NeedletailThe White-throated Needletail , also known as Needle-tailed Swift or Spine-tailed Swift, is a large swift. It is the fastest-flying bird in flapping flight, being capable of speeds up to 170 km/h ....
, Hirundapus caudacutus – vagrant
- Fork-tailed Swift
- Fringillidae
- European GoldfinchEuropean GoldfinchThe European Goldfinch or Goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family.-Habitat and range:The goldfinch breeds across Europe, North Africa, and western and central Asia, in open, partially wooded lowlands. It is resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions...
, Carduelis carduelis - vagrant - Common RedpollCommon RedpollThe Common Redpoll is a species in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic Redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs. Nominate C. f. flammea breeds across the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. There is also an Icelandic subspecies, Icelandic Redpoll...
, Carduelis flammea - breeding - Common Chaffinch, Fringilla coelebs – vagrant
- European Goldfinch
- EmberizidaeEmberizidaeThe Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
- YellowhammerYellowhammerThe Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae. It is common in all sorts of open areas with some scrub or trees and form small flocks in winter....
, Emberiza citrinella – vagrant
- Yellowhammer
- Hirundinidae
- Welcome SwallowWelcome SwallowThe Welcome Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family.It is a species native to Australia and nearby islands, but not until recently to New Zealand, which has been colonised in the last half century...
, Hirundo neoxena – vagrant
- Welcome Swallow
- ZosteropidaeWhite-eyeWhite-eye can refer to:*White-eye , a large family of birds.*White-eye , a species of fish.*White-eye mutation, a mutation in Drosophila melanogaster linked to the X chromosome, found by reciprocal cross breeding experiments in 1906.*A lioness member of the Marsh Pride of lions that have featured...
- SilvereyeSilvereyeThe Silvereye or Wax-eye is a very small passerine bird native to Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands of Lord Howe, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji...
, Zosterops lateralis – vagrant
- Silvereye
- Muscicapidae
- Common Blackbird, Turdus merula - vagrant
- Song ThrushSong ThrushThe Song Thrush is a thrush that breeds across much of Eurasia. It is also known in English dialects as throstle or mavis. It has brown upperparts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies...
, Turdus philomelos – vagrant
- Sturnidae
- Common Starling, Sturnus vulgaris - breeding