Palau bird checklist
170 bird species in 49 families have been recorded in Palau, according to eBird; about 155 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 Palau right now
1Eurasian Tree Sparrow
2Barn Swallow
3White-tailed Tropicbird
4Eastern Yellow Wagtail
5Gray Wagtail
6Black Noddy
7Pacific Golden-Plover
8Chinese Sparrowhawk
9Palau Swiftlet
10Common Sandpiper
Palau bird checklist
170 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Common Shelduck
- Garganey
- Northern Shoveler
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Pacific Black Duck
- Eastern Spot-billed Duck
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Tufted Duck
Megapodes
- Micronesian Megapode
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Red Junglefowl
Pigeons and Doves
- Palau Ground Dove
- Nicobar Pigeon
- Palau Fruit-Dove
- Micronesian Imperial-Pigeon
Cuckoos
- Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
- Pacific Koel
- Long-tailed Koel
- Channel-billed Cuckoo
- Sahul Brush Cuckoo
- Northern Hawk-Cuckoo
- Common Cuckoo
- Oriental Cuckoo
Nightjars and Allies
- Palau Nightjar
Swifts
- Palau Swiftlet
- Pacific Swift
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Buff-banded Rail
- Eurasian Moorhen
- Eurasian Coot
- Australasian Swamphen
- White-browed Crake
- White-breasted Waterhen
- Slaty-legged Crake
Stilts and Avocets
- Black-winged Stilt
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Common Ringed Plover
- Little Ringed Plover
- Northern Lapwing
- Oriental Plover
- Siberian Sand-Plover
- Greater Sand-Plover
- Kentish Plover
Sandpipers and Allies
- Eurasian Whimbrel
- Little Curlew
- Far Eastern Curlew
- Eurasian Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Asian Dowitcher
- Swinhoe's Snipe
- Common Snipe
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Terek Sandpiper
- Common Sandpiper
- Green Sandpiper
- Gray-tailed Tattler
- Wandering Tattler
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Wood Sandpiper
- Common Redshank
- Common Greenshank
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Great Knot
- Red Knot
- Ruff
- Broad-billed Sandpiper
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Temminck's Stint
- Long-toed Stint
- Red-necked Stint
- Sanderling
- Little Stint
- White-rumped Sandpiper
- Pectoral Sandpiper
Pratincoles and Coursers
- Oriental Pratincole
Skuas and Jaegers
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Black-headed Gull
- Blue-billed White-Tern
- Brown Noddy
- Black Noddy
- Sooty Tern
- Bridled Tern
- Gray-backed Tern
- Little Tern
- Gull-billed Tern
- Australian Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- White-winged Tern
- Common Tern
- Black-naped Tern
- Great Crested Tern
Tropicbirds
- White-tailed Tropicbird
- Red-tailed Tropicbird
Northern Storm-Petrels
- Matsudaira's Storm-Petrel
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Bulwer's Petrel
- Streaked Shearwater
- Wedge-tailed Shearwater
- Short-tailed Shearwater
- Tropical Shearwater
Frigatebirds
- Lesser Frigatebird
- Great Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Red-footed Booby
- Brown Booby
- Cocos Booby
- Masked Booby
Cormorants and Shags
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Great Cormorant
- Little Black Cormorant
Ibises and Spoonbills
- Glossy Ibis
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Yellow Bittern
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Nankeen Night Heron
- Pacific Reef-Heron
- Little Egret
- Pied Heron
- Little Heron
- Chinese Pond-Heron
- Eastern Cattle-Egret
- Great Egret
- Medium Egret
- Gray Heron
Osprey
- Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Chinese Sparrowhawk
- Black Kite
- Gray-faced Buzzard
Owls
- Palau Scops-Owl
Hoopoes
- Common Hoopoe
Kingfishers
- Common Kingfisher
- Palau Kingfisher
- Sacred Kingfisher
- Collared Kingfisher
Rollers
- Dollarbird
Falcons and Caracaras
- Peregrine Falcon
Cockatoos
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Old World Parrots
- Papuan Eclectus
Honeyeaters
- Micronesian Myzomela
Cuckooshrikes
- Palau Cicadabird
Whistlers and Allies
- Morningbird
Woodswallows, Bellmagpies, and Allies
- White-breasted Woodswallow
Fantails
- Palau Fantail
Monarch Flycatchers
- Palau Flycatcher
Shrikes
- Brown Shrike
Reed Warblers and Allies
- Oriental Reed Warbler
Swallows
- Bank Swallow
- Pacific Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Asian House-Martin
- Eastern Red-rumped Swallow
Bush Warblers and Allies
- Palau Bush Warbler
White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies
- Giant White-eye
- Dusky White-eye
- Caroline Islands White-eye
Starlings
- Micronesian Starling
- Chestnut-cheeked Starling
Thrushes and Allies
- Eyebrowed Thrush
Old World Flycatchers
- Gray-streaked Flycatcher
- Blue-and-white Flycatcher
- Blue Rock-Thrush
Waxbills and Allies
- Chestnut Munia
- Blue-faced Parrotfinch
Old World Sparrows
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits
- Gray Wagtail
- Eastern Yellow Wagtail
- Blyth's Pipit
- Olive-backed Pipit
- Red-throated Pipit
Old World Buntings
- Little Bunting
Most common birds in Palau
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 Palau’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- White-tailed TropicbirdPhaethon lepturus
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Gray WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Black NoddyAnous minutus
- Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulva
- Chinese SparrowhawkTachyspiza soloensis
- Palau SwiftletAerodramus pelewensis
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Palau FlycatcherMyiagra erythrops
- Palau FantailRhipidura lepida
- Chestnut MuniaLonchura atricapilla
- Blue-faced ParrotfinchErythrura trichroa
- White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterus
- Micronesian Imperial-PigeonDucula oceanica
- Palau Bush WarblerHorornis annae
- Palau Fruit-DovePtilinopus pelewensis
- Micronesian StarlingAplonis opaca
- Pacific Reef-HeronEgretta sacra
Largest bird families in Palau
Among its regular birds.
- Sandpipers and Allies33
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers14
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns11
- Plovers and Lapwings8
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl8
- Rails, Gallinules, and Coots7
- Wagtails and Pipits5
- Cuckoos5
Reported in the last 30 days
76 species reported to eBird in Palau in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:
Palau Swiftlet, Chinese Sparrowhawk, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Palau Fantail, Palau Flycatcher, Gray Wagtail, White-tailed Tropicbird, Blue-faced Parrotfinch, Black Noddy, Barn Swallow, Palau Bush Warbler, Palau Fruit-Dove, Morningbird, Micronesian Imperial-Pigeon, Chestnut Munia, Palau Cicadabird, Caroline Islands White-eye, Collared Kingfisher, Micronesian Starling, Pacific Golden-Plover, Common Sandpiper, Micronesian Myzomela, Dusky White-eye, Little Pied Cormorant, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Red Junglefowl, Blue-billed White-Tern, Pacific Reef-Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-winged Tern, Black-naped Tern, Palau Scops-Owl, Tropical Shearwater, Nankeen Night Heron, Palau Nightjar, Buff-banded Rail, Eastern Cattle-Egret, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Brown Noddy, …
Get to know some of them
Pacific Reef-Heron
Ruddy Turnstone
Brown Noddy
Eastern Cattle-Egret
Little Pied Cormorant
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Whiskered Tern
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nankeen Night Heron
Gray-tailed Tattler
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Great Frigatebird
Medium Egret
Buff-banded Rail
Little Egret
Great Egret
Bridled Tern