Vanuatu bird checklist
148 bird species in 43 families have been recorded in Vanuatu, according to eBird; about 131 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 Vanuatu right now
1Common Myna
2White-rumped Swiftlet
3House Sparrow
4Red-bellied Fruit-Dove
5White-breasted Woodswallow
6Pacific Emerald Dove
7Pacific Black Duck
8Pacific Golden-Plover
9Silvereye
10Gray-eared Honeyeater
Vanuatu bird checklist
148 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Plumed Whistling-Duck
- Wandering Whistling-Duck
- Australasian Shoveler
- Pacific Black Duck
- Mallard
- Northern Pintail
- Gray Teal
- Hardhead
Megapodes
- Vanuatu Megapode
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Red Junglefowl
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- Metallic Pigeon
- Spot-breasted Cuckoo-Dove
- Pacific Emerald Dove
- Santa Cruz Ground Dove
- Tanna Fruit-Dove
- Red-bellied Fruit-Dove
- Pacific Imperial-Pigeon
- Baker's Imperial-Pigeon
Cuckoos
- Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
- Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Swifts
- Satin Swiftlet
- White-rumped Swiftlet
- Uniform Swiftlet
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Buff-banded Rail
- Australasian Swamphen
- Spotless Crake
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Semipalmated Plover
- Masked Lapwing
- Oriental Plover
- Siberian Sand-Plover
- Double-banded Plover
Sandpipers and Allies
- Eurasian Whimbrel
- Little Curlew
- Far Eastern Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Common Sandpiper
- Gray-tailed Tattler
- Wandering Tattler
- Marsh Sandpiper
- Common Greenshank
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Red-necked Stint
- Pectoral Sandpiper
Skuas and Jaegers
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Silver Gull
- Blue-billed White-Tern
- Brown Noddy
- Black Noddy
- Gray Noddy
- Sooty Tern
- Bridled Tern
- Gray-backed Tern
- Whiskered Tern
- Common Tern
- Black-naped Tern
- Great Crested Tern
Grebes
- Australasian Grebe
Tropicbirds
- White-tailed Tropicbird
- Red-tailed Tropicbird
Southern Storm-Petrels
- White-bellied Storm-Petrel
- Black-bellied Storm-Petrel
- Polynesian Storm-Petrel
Northern Storm-Petrels
- Leach's Storm-Petrel
- Band-rumped Storm-Petrel
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Kermadec Petrel
- Herald Petrel
- Providence Petrel
- Mottled Petrel
- White-necked Petrel
- Black-winged Petrel
- Cook's Petrel
- Gould's Petrel
- Collared Petrel
- Pycroft's Petrel
- Vanuatu Petrel
- Tahiti Petrel
- Flesh-footed Shearwater
- Wedge-tailed Shearwater
- Sooty Shearwater
- Short-tailed Shearwater
- Christmas Shearwater
- Tropical Shearwater
Frigatebirds
- Lesser Frigatebird
- Great Frigatebird
Boobies and Gannets
- Red-footed Booby
- Brown Booby
- Masked Booby
Cormorants and Shags
- Little Pied Cormorant
- Little Black Cormorant
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Pacific Reef-Heron
- Little Egret
- White-faced Heron
- Little Heron
- Great Egret
Pelicans
- Australian Pelican
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Brown Goshawk
- Swamp Harrier
- Brahminy Kite
Barn-Owls
- Eastern Barn Owl
Kingfishers
- Vanuatu Kingfisher
- Pacific Kingfisher
Falcons and Caracaras
- Peregrine Falcon
Old World Parrots
- Palm Lorikeet
- Coconut Lorikeet
Honeyeaters
- Cardinal Myzomela
- Vanuatu Honeyeater
- Gray-eared Honeyeater
Thornbills and Allies
- Fan-tailed Gerygone
Cuckooshrikes
- South Melanesian Cuckooshrike
- Polynesian Triller
- Long-tailed Triller
Whistlers and Allies
- Vanuatu Whistler
Woodswallows, Bellmagpies, and Allies
- White-breasted Woodswallow
Fantails
- Vanuatu Streaked Fantail
- Gray Fantail
Monarch Flycatchers
- Buff-bellied Monarch
- Southern Shrikebill
- Melanesian Flycatcher
Australasian Robins
- Pacific Robin
Grassbirds and Allies
- Santo Thicketbird
Swallows
- Pacific Swallow
- Tree Martin
Bulbuls
- Red-vented Bulbul
White-eyes, Yuhinas, and Allies
- Silvereye
- Yellow-fronted White-eye
Starlings
- Rusty-winged Starling
- Mountain Starling
- European Starling
- Common Myna
- Jungle Myna
Thrushes and Allies
- Vanikoro Island-Thrush
- White-headed Island-Thrush
Waxbills and Allies
- Chestnut Munia
- Chestnut-breasted Munia
- Royal Parrotfinch
- Blue-faced Parrotfinch
- Common Waxbill
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Redpoll
Most common birds in Vanuatu
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 Vanuatu’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- Common MynaAcridotheres tristis
- White-rumped SwiftletAerodramus spodiopygius
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Red-bellied Fruit-DovePtilinopus greyi
- White-breasted WoodswallowArtamus leucorynchus
- Pacific Emerald DoveChalcophaps longirostris
- Pacific Black DuckAnas superciliosa
- Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulva
- SilvereyeZosterops lateralis
- Gray-eared HoneyeaterLichmera incana
- Satin SwiftletCollocalia uropygialis
- Common WaxbillEstrilda astrild
- White-faced HeronEgretta novaehollandiae
- Pacific Reef-HeronEgretta sacra
- Red-footed BoobySula sula
- Swamp HarrierCircus approximans
- Pacific KingfisherTodiramphus sacer
- Long-tailed TrillerLalage leucopyga
- Cardinal MyzomelaMyzomela cardinalis
- Uniform SwiftletAerodramus vanikorensis
Largest bird families in Vanuatu
Among its regular birds.
- Shearwaters and Petrels17
- Sandpipers and Allies15
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers10
- Pigeons and Doves9
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl6
- Plovers and Lapwings6
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns5
- Waxbills and Allies4
Reported in the last 30 days
60 species reported to eBird in Vanuatu in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:
Red-bellied Fruit-Dove, White-breasted Woodswallow, Common Myna, Gray-eared Honeyeater, Pacific Emerald Dove, Satin Swiftlet, White-rumped Swiftlet, House Sparrow, Silvereye, Common Waxbill, Long-tailed Triller, Cardinal Myzomela, Swamp Harrier, Pacific Kingfisher, White-faced Heron, Uniform Swiftlet, Pacific Black Duck, Coconut Lorikeet, Pacific Reef-Heron, Yellow-fronted White-eye, Pacific Golden-Plover, Red Junglefowl, Brown Goshawk, Gray Fantail, Tanna Fruit-Dove, Buff-banded Rail, Red-footed Booby, Peregrine Falcon, Melanesian Flycatcher, Pacific Swallow, Ruddy Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit, Great Crested Tern, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Vanuatu Megapode, Vanuatu Honeyeater, Baker's Imperial-Pigeon, Spot-breasted Cuckoo-Dove, Fan-tailed Gerygone, Eurasian Whimbrel, …
Get to know some of them
White-faced Heron
Pacific Reef-Heron
Red-footed Booby
Ruddy Turnstone
Wedge-tailed Shearwater
Great Crested Tern
Buff-banded Rail
Bar-tailed Godwit
Gray Fantail
Sooty Tern
Peregrine Falcon
White-tailed Tropicbird
Gray-tailed Tattler
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Rock Pigeon
Australasian Grebe
Little Pied Cormorant
Hardhead