Maldives bird checklist
177 bird species in 49 families have been recorded in the Maldives, 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 the Maldives right now
1Sanderling
2Lesser Crested Tern
3Lesser Noddy
4Pacific Golden-Plover
5Saunders's Tern
6Black-naped Tern
7Tibetan Sand-Plover
8Gray Heron
9Common Sandpiper
10Great Crested Tern
Maldives bird checklist
177 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Muscovy Duck
- Cotton Pygmy-Goose
- Garganey
- Northern Shoveler
- Mallard
- Northern Pintail
Guineafowl
- Helmeted Guineafowl
New World Quail
- California Quail
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Wild Turkey
- Red Junglefowl
- Common Quail
- Chukar
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- Oriental Turtle-Dove
- African Collared-Dove
- Red Collared-Dove
- Diamond Dove
- Zebra Dove
Turacos
- Livingstone's Turaco
Cuckoos
- Asian Koel
- Common Cuckoo
Nightjars and Allies
- Eurasian Nightjar
Swifts
- White-throated Needletail
- Indian Swiftlet
- Common Swift
- Blyth's Swift
- Little Swift
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Eurasian Moorhen
- Watercock
- White-breasted Waterhen
Stilts and Avocets
- Black-winged Stilt
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Common Ringed Plover
- Siberian Sand-Plover
- Tibetan Sand-Plover
- Greater Sand-Plover
Sandpipers and Allies
- Eurasian Whimbrel
- Eurasian Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Pin-tailed Snipe
- Common Snipe
- Terek Sandpiper
- Common Sandpiper
- Green Sandpiper
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Wood Sandpiper
- Common Redshank
- Common Greenshank
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Ruff
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Temminck's Stint
- Sanderling
- Dunlin
- Little Stint
Pratincoles and Coursers
- Oriental Pratincole
Skuas and Jaegers
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Sooty Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Blue-billed White-Tern
- Brown Noddy
- Lesser Noddy
- Sooty Tern
- Bridled Tern
- Little Tern
- Saunders's Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Caspian Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Common Tern
- Black-naped Tern
- Roseate Tern
- Sandwich Tern
- Lesser Crested Tern
- Great Crested Tern
Flamingos
- Greater Flamingo
Tropicbirds
- White-tailed Tropicbird
- Red-billed Tropicbird
- Red-tailed Tropicbird
Southern Storm-Petrels
- Black-bellied Storm-Petrel
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Bulwer's Petrel
- Jouanin's Petrel
- Flesh-footed Shearwater
- Wedge-tailed Shearwater
- Tropical Shearwater
Frigatebirds
- Lesser Frigatebird
- Great Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Red-footed Booby
- Brown Booby
- Masked Booby
Cormorants and Shags
- Little Cormorant
Ibises and Spoonbills
- Glossy Ibis
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Black Bittern
- Cinnamon Bittern
- Yellow Bittern
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Nankeen Night Heron
- Little Egret
- Western Reef-Heron
- Little Heron
- Indian Pond-Heron
- Eastern Cattle-Egret
- Great Egret
- Medium Egret
- Gray Heron
- Purple Heron
Osprey
- Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Black-winged Kite
- Oriental Honey-buzzard
- Shikra
- Black Kite
- Brahminy Kite
Hoopoes
- Common Hoopoe
Bee-eaters
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Kingfishers
- Common Kingfisher
Rollers
- European Roller
Asian Barbets
- Coppersmith Barbet
Falcons and Caracaras
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Amur Falcon
- Eurasian Hobby
Cockatoos
- Cockatiel
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Old World Parrots
- Papuan Eclectus
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Crimson Rosella
- Budgerigar
- Red Lory
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Rosy-faced Lovebird
- Fischer's Lovebird
New World and African Parrots
- Gray Parrot
- Monk Parakeet
- Turquoise-fronted Amazon
- Sun Parakeet
- Blue-and-yellow Macaw
- Scarlet Macaw
- White-eyed Parakeet
Drongos
- Black Drongo
Shrikes
- Brown Shrike
Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- House Crow
Larks
- Mongolian Short-toed Lark
Swallows
- Bank Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Western House-Martin
- Eastern Red-rumped Swallow
- Streak-throated Swallow
Leaf Warblers
- Willow Warbler
Starlings
- Rosy Starling
- Brahminy Starling
- Common Myna
- Javan Myna
Old World Flycatchers
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Oriental Magpie-Robin
- Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush
- Blue Rock-Thrush
- Isabelline Wheatear
- Desert Wheatear
Weavers and Allies
- Chestnut-and-black Weaver
- Village Weaver
- Black-headed Weaver
- Black-winged Bishop
- Red-collared Widowbird
Waxbills and Allies
- Zebra Finch
- Java Sparrow
- Red-cheeked Cordonbleu
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits
- Forest Wagtail
- Western Yellow Wagtail
- White Wagtail
- Tree Pipit
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Common Rosefinch
- European Goldfinch
Most common birds in Maldives
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 Maldives’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Lesser Crested TernThalasseus bengalensis
- Lesser NoddyAnous tenuirostris
- Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulva
- Saunders's TernSternula saundersi
- Black-naped TernSterna sumatrana
- Tibetan Sand-PloverAnarhynchus atrifrons
- Gray HeronArdea cinerea
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Great Crested TernThalasseus bergii
- House CrowCorvus splendens
- Great EgretArdea alba
- White-breasted WaterhenAmaurornis phoenicurus
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferruginea
- Asian KoelEudynamys scolopaceus
- Rosy StarlingPastor roseus
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Common RedshankTringa totanus
- Rock PigeonColumba livia
Largest bird families in Maldives
Among its regular birds.
- Sandpipers and Allies18
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers17
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns13
- Plovers and Lapwings5
- Shearwaters and Petrels5
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl5
- Swifts5
- Hawks, Eagles, and Kites5
Reported in the last 30 days
33 species reported to eBird in Maldives in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, most recent first:
Sanderling, Lesser Crested Tern, Lesser Noddy, Saunders's Tern, Tibetan Sand-Plover, Black-naped Tern, Pacific Golden-Plover, Eurasian Nightjar, House Crow, Gray Heron, White-breasted Waterhen, Asian Koel, Great Crested Tern, Common Sandpiper, Great Egret, Rosy Starling, Curlew Sandpiper, Roseate Tern, Tree Pipit, Common Redshank, Little Heron, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Whimbrel, Masked Booby, Rock Pigeon, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red Junglefowl, Wild Turkey, Muscovy Duck, Indian Pond-Heron, Tropical Shearwater, Little Tern, Common Tern.
Get to know some of them
House Crow
Great Egret
White-breasted Waterhen
Asian Koel
Rosy Starling
Barn Swallow
Common Redshank
Rock Pigeon
White-tailed Tropicbird
Masked Booby
Common Tern
Indian Pond-Heron
Ruddy Turnstone
Brown Noddy
Black-bellied Plover
Bar-tailed Godwit
Sooty Tern
Eurasian Moorhen
Common Greenshank