Kiribati bird checklist

64 bird species in 17 families have been recorded in Kiribati, according to eBird; about 58 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 13 Oct 2026 · How these lists are made

The most common birds in Kiribati right now

The top 20, and how they are ranked

Kiribati bird checklist

64 species · loading the checklist tools…

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Northern Shoveler
American Wigeon

Pigeons and Doves

Rock Pigeon
Pacific Imperial-Pigeon

Cuckoos

Long-tailed Koel

Plovers and Lapwings

Black-bellied Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover

Sandpipers and Allies

Bristle-thighed Curlew
Eurasian Whimbrel
Bar-tailed Godwit
Gray-tailed Tattler
Wandering Tattler
Ruddy Turnstone
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Sanderling

Skuas and Jaegers

Pomarine Jaeger
South Polar Skua

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Laughing Gull
Kelp Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Blue-billed White-Tern
Brown Noddy
Black Noddy
Blue-gray Noddy
Sooty Tern
Bridled Tern
Gray-backed Tern
Black-naped Tern
Great Crested Tern

Tropicbirds

White-tailed Tropicbird
Red-billed Tropicbird
Red-tailed Tropicbird

Southern Storm-Petrels

Polynesian Storm-Petrel

Northern Storm-Petrels

Leach's Storm-Petrel

Shearwaters and Petrels

Kermadec 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
Streaked Shearwater
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Buller's Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
Christmas Shearwater
Newell's 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

Osprey

Osprey

Old World Parrots

Kuhl's Lorikeet

Reed Warblers and Allies

Kiritimati Reed Warbler

Most common birds in Kiribati

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 Kiribati’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.

Red-footed BoobySula sula
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulva
Wedge-tailed ShearwaterArdenna pacifica
Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna grisea
Brown NoddyAnous stolidus
Lesser FrigatebirdFregata ariel
Great FrigatebirdFregata minor
Masked BoobySula dactylatra
Collared PetrelPterodroma brevipes
Cook's PetrelPterodroma cookii
Gould's PetrelPterodroma leucoptera
Tahiti PetrelPseudobulweria rostrata
Buller's ShearwaterArdenna bulleri
Mottled PetrelPterodroma inexpectata
Phoenix PetrelPterodroma alba
Kermadec PetrelPterodroma neglecta
Black NoddyAnous minutus
Red-tailed TropicbirdPhaethon rubricauda

Largest bird families in Kiribati

Among its regular birds.

Shearwaters and Petrels19
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers11
Sandpipers and Allies7
Boobies and Gannets4
Plovers and Lapwings2
Frigatebirds2
Tropicbirds2
Pigeons and Doves2

Reported in the last 30 days

21 species reported to eBird in Kiribati in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, most recent first:

Ruddy Turnstone, Red-footed Booby, Pacific Golden-Plover, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Gould's Petrel, Sooty Shearwater, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy, Collared Petrel, Cook's Petrel, Lesser Frigatebird, Great Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Blue-billed White-Tern, Tahiti Petrel, Mottled Petrel, Stejneger's Petrel, Buller's Shearwater, South Polar Skua, Kermadec Petrel, Phoenix Petrel.