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List of birds of Macquarie Island

August 31, 2023

This is a list of the bird species recorded on Macquarie Island. The avifauna of Macquarie Island include a total of 74 species, of which 6 have been introduced. Of these, 8 species are globally threatened.

A royal penguin on Macquarie Island.

The birds of Macquarie Island are, unsurprisingly for an isolated oceanic island, predominantly seabirds. By far the majority of the breeding species are penguins, petrels and albatrosses. However, the bird list includes many vagrants, including passerines, from New Zealand and Australia.

Overview Edit

Four species of penguin breed on Macquarie Island. The royal penguin has a population estimated at 850,000. There are also 100,000 breeding pairs of king penguin, the third largest such colony in the world. Gentoo and southern rockhopper penguins also breed there. In the past the penguins, mainly the royal and king penguins, were exploited for their oil, a practice which ceased in 1919.

The four breeding species of albatross are all threatened by long-line fishing when feeding away from the island, including the most numerous, the light-mantled sooty albatross with 2000 breeding pairs, and the wandering albatross, with fewer than ten pairs breeding each year.

Many species of petrel breed on Macquarie. They were adversely affected by the introduction of black rats, house mice, rabbits and cats, and the small blue petrel breeding population on the island is considered to be critically endangered. Wekas were introduced by sealers in the mid-19th century and flourished, adding to the predation threat, while the rabbits caused erosion of the hillsides. With the eradication of first the cats and the wekas, and then of the rabbits and rodents by 2014, there are signs that the breeding petrel populations are beginning to recover.

The Macquarie Island parakeet became extinct about 1891. The Macquarie Island rail, an endemic subspecies of the buff-banded rail, disappeared about the same time. The Pacific black duck population on Macquarie Island is threatened by crossbreeding with introduced mallards,[1][2] a common problem on Australian and New Zealand islands.[3]

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for French Polynesia.

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories.

  • (A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs on Macquarie Island
  • (E) Endemic - a species that is native only to Macquarie Island
  • (I) Introduced - a species introduced to Macquarie Island as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions


Ducks, geese, and waterfowl Edit

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.

  • Pacific black duck, Anas superciliosa
  • Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (I)
  • Mallard × Pacific black duck hybrid, Anas platyrhynchos × superciliosa (I)
  • Grey teal, Anas gracilis (A)

Swifts Edit

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang.

Rails, gallinules, and coots Edit

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.

Sandpipers and allies Edit

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Skuas and jaegers Edit

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants.

Gulls, terns, and skimmers Edit

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.

Penguins Edit

Order: Sphenisciformes   Family: Spheniscidae

The penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater.

Albatrosses Edit

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

The albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses from the genus Diomedea have the largest wingspans of any extant birds.

Southern storm-petrels Edit

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

The southern storm-petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.

Shearwaters and petrels Edit

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.

Cormorants and shags Edit

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal, fish-eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies, with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black-and-white and a few being colourful.

Herons, egrets, and bitterns Edit

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.

Hawks, eagles, and kites Edit

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.

Old World parrots Edit

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

Characteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill, an upright stance, strong legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. Many parrots are vividly colored, and some are multi-colored. In size they range from 8 cm (3.1 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) in length. Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.

Swallows Edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.

Starlings Edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen.

Thrushes and allies Edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.

Finches, euphonias, and allies Edit

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ "This week at Macquarie Island: 21 October 2016". www.antarctica.gov.au. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  2. ^ Division, Australian Antarctic. "Ducks and Mallards of Macquarie Island". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Taysom, Alice Jo (2016). The occurrence of hybridisation between the Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa) and other dabbling ducks (Genus: Anas) in Australia (phd thesis). Victoria University.
  • "Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World Macquarie Island". Denis Lepage. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  • Clements, James F. (2000). Birds of the World: A Checklist. Cornell University Press. p. 880. ISBN 0-934797-16-1.
  • Barrett, Geoff; Silcocks, Andrew; Barry, Simon; Cunningham, Ross; & Poulter, Rory (2003). The New Atlas of Australian Birds. Melbourne: Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. ISBN 1-875122-09-5
  • Birding-Aus Mailing List Archives
  • Christidis, Leslie; & Boles, Walter E. (1994). The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories. RAOU Monograph 2. RAOU: Melbourne. ISBN 1-875122-06-0
  • Garnett, Stephen T.; & Crowley, Gabriel M. (2000). The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000. Environment Australia: Canberra. ISBN 0-642-54683-5
  • Higgins, P.J. (Ed). (1999). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553071-3
  • Marchant, S.; Higgins, P.J.; & Davies, J.N. (Eds). (1994). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings. Oxford University Press: Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553069-1

External links Edit

    August 31, 2023
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This is a list of the bird species recorded on Macquarie Island The avifauna of Macquarie Island include a total of 74 species of which 6 have been introduced Of these 8 species are globally threatened A royal penguin on Macquarie Island The birds of Macquarie Island are unsurprisingly for an isolated oceanic island predominantly seabirds By far the majority of the breeding species are penguins petrels and albatrosses However the bird list includes many vagrants including passerines from New Zealand and Australia Overview EditFour species of penguin breed on Macquarie Island The royal penguin has a population estimated at 850 000 There are also 100 000 breeding pairs of king penguin the third largest such colony in the world Gentoo and southern rockhopper penguins also breed there In the past the penguins mainly the royal and king penguins were exploited for their oil a practice which ceased in 1919 The four breeding species of albatross are all threatened by long line fishing when feeding away from the island including the most numerous the light mantled sooty albatross with 2000 breeding pairs and the wandering albatross with fewer than ten pairs breeding each year Many species of petrel breed on Macquarie They were adversely affected by the introduction of black rats house mice rabbits and cats and the small blue petrel breeding population on the island is considered to be critically endangered Wekas were introduced by sealers in the mid 19th century and flourished adding to the predation threat while the rabbits caused erosion of the hillsides With the eradication of first the cats and the wekas and then of the rabbits and rodents by 2014 there are signs that the breeding petrel populations are beginning to recover The Macquarie Island parakeet became extinct about 1891 The Macquarie Island rail an endemic subspecies of the buff banded rail disappeared about the same time The Pacific black duck population on Macquarie Island is threatened by crossbreeding with introduced mallards 1 2 a common problem on Australian and New Zealand islands 3 This list s taxonomic treatment designation and sequence of orders families and species and nomenclature common and scientific names follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World 2022 edition The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy as do the species counts found in each family account Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for French Polynesia The following tags have been used to highlight several categories The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories A Accidental a species that rarely or accidentally occurs on Macquarie Island E Endemic a species that is native only to Macquarie Island I Introduced a species introduced to Macquarie Island as a consequence direct or indirect of human actionsContents 1 Overview 2 Ducks geese and waterfowl 3 Swifts 4 Rails gallinules and coots 5 Sandpipers and allies 6 Skuas and jaegers 7 Gulls terns and skimmers 8 Penguins 9 Albatrosses 10 Southern storm petrels 11 Shearwaters and petrels 12 Cormorants and shags 13 Herons egrets and bitterns 14 Hawks eagles and kites 15 Old World parrots 16 Swallows 17 Starlings 18 Thrushes and allies 19 Finches euphonias and allies 20 See also 21 References 22 External linksDucks geese and waterfowl EditOrder Anseriformes Family AnatidaeAnatidae includes the ducks and most duck like waterfowl such as geese and swans These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet flattened bills and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating Pacific black duck Anas superciliosa Mallard Anas platyrhynchos I Mallard Pacific black duck hybrid Anas platyrhynchos superciliosa I Grey teal Anas gracilis A Swifts EditOrder Caprimulgiformes Family ApodidaeSwifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground perching instead only on vertical surfaces Many swifts have long swept back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang White throated needletail Hirundapus caudacutus A Pacific swift Apus pacificus A Rails gallinules and coots EditOrder Gruiformes Family RallidaeRallidae is a large family of small to medium sized birds which includes the rails crakes coots and gallinules Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes swamps or rivers In general they are shy and secretive birds making them difficult to observe Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces They tend to have short rounded wings and to be weak fliers Eurasian coot Fulica atra A Baillon s crake Zapornia pusilla A Sandpipers and allies EditOrder Charadriiformes Family ScolopacidaeScolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium sized shorebirds including the sandpipers curlews godwits shanks tattlers woodcocks snipes dowitchers and phalaropes The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat particularly on the coast without direct competition for food Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres A Latham s snipe Gallinago hardwickii A Skuas and jaegers EditOrder Charadriiformes Family StercorariidaeThe family Stercorariidae are in general medium to large birds typically with grey or brown plumage often with white markings on the wings They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long distance migrants South Polar skua Stercorarius maccormicki Brown skua Stercorarius antarcticusGulls terns and skimmers EditOrder Charadriiformes Family LaridaeLaridae is a family of medium to large seabirds the gulls terns and skimmers Gulls are typically grey or white often with black markings on the head or wings They have stout longish bills and webbed feet Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage often with black markings on the head Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water Terns are generally long lived birds with several species known to live in excess of 30 years Silver gull Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae A Kelp gull Larus dominicanus Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea A Antarctic tern Sterna vittataPenguins EditOrder Sphenisciformes Family SpheniscidaeThe penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere Most penguins feed on krill fish squid and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater King penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus Adelie penguin Pygoscelis adeliae A Gentoo penguin Pygoscelis papua Chinstrap penguin Pygoscelis antarctica A Erect crested penguin Eudyptes sclateri A Macaroni penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus Royal penguin Eudyptes schlegeli E Southern rockhopper penguin Eudyptes chrysocome Snares penguin Eudyptes robustus A Albatrosses EditOrder Procellariiformes Family DiomedeidaeThe albatrosses are among the largest of flying birds and the great albatrosses from the genus Diomedea have the largest wingspans of any extant birds Gray headed albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma White capped albatross Thalassarche cauta A Salvin s albatross Thalassarche salvini A Black browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris Light mantled albatross Phoebetria palpebrata Royal albatross Diomedea epomophora A Wandering albatross Diomedea exulansSouthern storm petrels EditOrder Procellariiformes Family OceanitidaeThe southern storm petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds They feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface typically while hovering The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat like Wilson s storm petrel Oceanites oceanicus A Gray backed storm petrel Garrodia nereis A Black bellied storm petrel Fregetta tropicaShearwaters and petrels EditOrder Procellariiformes Family ProcellariidaeThe procellariids are the main group of medium sized true petrels characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary Southern giant petrel Macronectes giganteus Northern giant petrel Macronectes halli Southern fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides A Antarctic petrel Thalassoica antarctica A Cape petrel Daption capense Snow petrel Pagodroma nivea A Kerguelen petrel Aphrodroma brevirostris Soft plumaged petrel Pterodroma mollis A White headed petrel Pterodroma lessonii Mottled petrel Pterodroma inexpectata Blue petrel Halobaena caerulea Fairy prion Pachyptila turtur Broad billed prion Pachyptila vittata A Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata Slender billed prion Pachyptila belcheri Gray petrel Procellaria cinerea White chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis A Sooty shearwater Ardenna griseus Short tailed shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris Common diving petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix South Georgia diving petrel Pelecanoides urinatrixCormorants and shags EditOrder Suliformes Family PhalacrocoracidaePhalacrocoracidae is a family of medium to large coastal fish eating seabirds that includes cormorants and shags Plumage colouration varies with the majority having mainly dark plumage some species being black and white and a few being colourful Macquarie shag Leucocarbo purpurascens E Herons egrets and bitterns EditOrder Pelecaniformes Family ArdeidaeThe family Ardeidae contains the bitterns herons and egrets Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted unlike other long necked birds such as storks ibises and spoonbills Great egret Ardea alba Intermediate egret Ardea intermedia A White faced heron Egretta novaehollandiae A Little egret Egretta garzetta A Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis A Hawks eagles and kites EditOrder Accipitriformes Family AccipitridaeAccipitridae is a family of birds of prey which includes hawks eagles kites harriers and Old World vultures These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey strong legs powerful talons and keen eyesight Swamp harrier Circus approximans A Old World parrots EditOrder Psittaciformes Family PsittaculidaeCharacteristic features of parrots include a strong curved bill an upright stance strong legs and clawed zygodactyl feet Many parrots are vividly colored and some are multi colored In size they range from 8 cm 3 1 in to 1 m 3 3 ft in length Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand Macquarie parakeet Cyanoramphus erythrotis extinctSwallows EditOrder Passeriformes Family HirundinidaeThe family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding They have a slender streamlined body long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking and the front toes are partially joined at the base Welcome swallow Hirundo neoxena A Starlings EditOrder Passeriformes Family SturnidaeStarlings are small to medium sized passerine birds Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious Their preferred habitat is fairly open country They eat insects and fruit Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen European starling Sturnus vulgaris I Thrushes and allies EditOrder Passeriformes Family TurdidaeThe thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World They are plump soft plumaged small to medium sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores often feeding on the ground Many have attractive songs Song thrush Turdus philomelos A Eurasian blackbird Turdus merula I Finches euphonias and allies EditOrder Passeriformes Family FringillidaeFinches are seed eating passerine birds that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak usually conical and in some species very large All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings and most sing well Common redpoll Acanthis flammea I Lesser redpoll Acanthis cabaret I European goldfinch Carduelis carduelis I See also EditList of birds Lists of birds by regionReferences Edit This week at Macquarie Island 21 October 2016 www antarctica gov au Retrieved 18 April 2022 Division Australian Antarctic Ducks and Mallards of Macquarie Island a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Taysom Alice Jo 2016 The occurrence of hybridisation between the Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa and other dabbling ducks Genus Anas in Australia phd thesis Victoria University Avibase Bird Checklists of the World Macquarie Island Denis Lepage Retrieved 17 July 2020 Clements James F 2000 Birds of the World A Checklist Cornell University Press p 880 ISBN 0 934797 16 1 Barrett Geoff Silcocks Andrew Barry Simon Cunningham Ross amp Poulter Rory 2003 The New Atlas of Australian Birds Melbourne Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union ISBN 1 875122 09 5 Birding Aus Mailing List Archives Christidis Leslie amp Boles Walter E 1994 The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories RAOU Monograph 2 RAOU Melbourne ISBN 1 875122 06 0 Garnett Stephen T amp Crowley Gabriel M 2000 The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 Environment Australia Canberra ISBN 0 642 54683 5 Higgins P J Ed 1999 Handbook of Australian New Zealand and Antarctic Birds Volume 4 Parrots to Dollarbird Oxford University Press Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553071 3 Marchant S Higgins P J amp Davies J N Eds 1994 Handbook of Australian New Zealand and Antarctic Birds Volume 2 Raptors to Lapwings Oxford University Press Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553069 1External links EditTasmanian Parks amp Wildlife Service Macquarie Island World Heritage Area Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of birds of Macquarie Island amp oldid 1164093070, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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