French Polynesia bird checklist
133 bird species in 32 families have been recorded in French Polynesia, according to eBird; about 121 of them are seen regularly, and the rest are rarities, vagrants and escaped or introduced birds. Download the full list as a PDF, or tick birds off on your phone, with counts and notes, even without signal.
Species data: eBird.org, updated · How these lists are made
The most common birds in French Polynesia right now
1Pacific Golden-Plover
2Great Crested Tern
3Common Myna
4Pacific Reef-Heron
5Brown Noddy
6Great Frigatebird
7Wandering Tattler
8Red-vented Bulbul
9Common Waxbill
10Rock Pigeon
French Polynesia bird checklist
133 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Graylag Goose
- Muscovy Duck
- Pacific Black Duck
- Mallard
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Red Junglefowl
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- Marquesan Ground Dove
- Polynesian Ground Dove
- Zebra Dove
- White-capped Fruit-Dove
- Rapa Fruit-Dove
- Atoll Fruit-Dove
- Makatea Fruit-Dove
- Raiatea Fruit-Dove
- Gray-green Fruit-Dove
- Polynesian Imperial-Pigeon
- Nuku Hiva Imperial-Pigeon
Cuckoos
- Long-tailed Koel
Swifts
- Tahiti Swiftlet
- Marquesan Swiftlet
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Spotless Crake
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Semipalmated Plover
Sandpipers and Allies
- Bristle-thighed Curlew
- Red Phalarope
- Wandering Tattler
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Tuamotu Sandpiper
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Sanderling
- Pectoral Sandpiper
Skuas and Jaegers
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
- South Polar Skua
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Laughing Gull
- Franklin's Gull
- Kelp Gull
- Blue-billed White-Tern
- Little White-Tern
- Brown Noddy
- Black Noddy
- Blue-gray Noddy
- Sooty Tern
- Bridled Tern
- Gray-backed Tern
- Common Tern
- Black-naped Tern
- Great Crested Tern
Tropicbirds
- White-tailed Tropicbird
- Red-billed Tropicbird
- Red-tailed Tropicbird
Albatrosses
- Light-mantled Albatross
- Buller's Albatross
- Salvin's Albatross
- Chatham Albatross
Southern Storm-Petrels
- Wilson's Storm-Petrel
- White-faced Storm-Petrel
- White-bellied Storm-Petrel
- Polynesian Storm-Petrel
Northern Storm-Petrels
- Leach's Storm-Petrel
- Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Northern Giant-Petrel
- Gray-faced Petrel
- Kermadec Petrel
- Herald Petrel
- Murphy's Petrel
- Henderson Petrel
- Soft-plumaged Petrel
- White-headed Petrel
- Mottled Petrel
- Juan Fernandez Petrel
- White-necked Petrel
- Black-winged Petrel
- Cook's Petrel
- Gould's Petrel
- Collared Petrel
- Stejneger's Petrel
- Phoenix Petrel
- Bulwer's Petrel
- Tahiti Petrel
- Gray Petrel
- White-chinned Petrel
- Parkinson's Petrel
- Wedge-tailed Shearwater
- Buller's Shearwater
- Sooty Shearwater
- Short-tailed Shearwater
- Christmas Shearwater
- Rapa Shearwater
- Tropical Shearwater
Frigatebirds
- Lesser Frigatebird
- Great Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Red-footed Booby
- Brown Booby
- Masked Booby
- Nazca Booby
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Pacific Reef-Heron
- Little Heron
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Swamp Harrier
Owls
- Great Horned Owl
Kingfishers
- Marquesan Kingfisher
- Society Kingfisher
- Tuamotu Kingfisher
- Chattering Kingfisher
Old World Parrots
- Budgerigar
- Ultramarine Lorikeet
- Kuhl's Lorikeet
- Blue Lorikeet
Monarch Flycatchers
- Tahiti Monarch
- Iphis Monarch
- Ua Pou Monarch
- Marquesan Monarch
- Fatu Hiva Monarch
Reed Warblers and Allies
- Southern Marquesan Reed Warbler
- Rimatara Reed Warbler
- Tahiti Reed Warbler
- Moorea Reed Warbler
- Northern Marquesan Reed Warbler
- Tuamotu Reed Warbler
Swallows
- Pacific Swallow
- Tahiti Swallow
Bulbuls
- Red-vented Bulbul
White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies
- Silvereye
Starlings
- Common Myna
Weavers and Allies
- Black-headed Weaver
Waxbills and Allies
- Red-browed Firetail
- Chestnut-breasted Munia
- Common Waxbill
- Black-rumped Waxbill
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
Tanagers and Allies
- Crimson-backed Tanager
Most common birds in French Polynesia
Ranked by how recently and how widely each was reported to eBird in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, and whether it is one of French Polynesia’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulva
- Great Crested TernThalasseus bergii
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- Pacific Reef-HeronEgretta sacra
- Brown NoddyAnous stolidus
- Great FrigatebirdFregata minor
- Wandering TattlerTringa incana
- Red-vented BulbulPycnonotus cafer
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
- Zebra DoveGeopelia striata
- Red-footed BoobySula sula
- White-tailed TropicbirdPhaethon lepturus
- Chestnut-breasted MuniaLonchura castaneothorax
- Black NoddyAnous minutus
- Southern Marquesan Reed WarblerAcrocephalus mendanae
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- Red JunglefowlGallus gallus
- Brown BoobySula leucogaster
- White-capped Fruit-DovePtilinopus dupetithouarsii
Largest bird families in French Polynesia
Among its regular birds.
- Shearwaters and Petrels28
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers13
- Pigeons and Doves12
- Sandpipers and Allies7
- Reed Warblers and Allies5
- Kingfishers4
- Monarch Flycatchers4
- Southern Storm-Petrels4
Reported in the last 30 days
64 species reported to eBird in French Polynesia in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:
Pacific Golden-Plover, Zebra Dove, Blue-billed White-Tern, Common Myna, Common Waxbill, Great Crested Tern, Red-vented Bulbul, Pacific Reef-Heron, Southern Marquesan Reed Warbler, Chestnut-breasted Munia, Wandering Tattler, White-capped Fruit-Dove, Great Frigatebird, Brown Noddy, Little White-Tern, Marquesan Swiftlet, Silvereye, Rock Pigeon, Red Junglefowl, Tahiti Reed Warbler, White-tailed Tropicbird, Crimson-backed Tanager, Gray-green Fruit-Dove, Society Kingfisher, Red-browed Firetail, Red-footed Booby, Tahiti Petrel, Black Noddy, Pacific Black Duck, Red-tailed Tropicbird, Brown Booby, Blue-gray Noddy, Herald Petrel, Lesser Frigatebird, Nuku Hiva Imperial-Pigeon, Sooty Tern, Gray-backed Tern, Sooty Shearwater, Tropical Shearwater, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, …
Get to know some of them
Red-footed Booby
White-tailed Tropicbird
Black Noddy
Silvereye
Brown Booby
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Sooty Tern
Lesser Frigatebird
Sooty Shearwater
Pacific Black Duck
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Masked Booby
Sanderling
Ruddy Turnstone
Black-bellied Plover
Bridled Tern