This is a list of the bird species recorded in the Prince Edward Islands. The Prince Edward Islands, c. 1,750 km (1,087 mi) offshore in the Roaring Forties, are near-pristine and deemed the second most important sub-Antarctic archipelago in terms of breeding birds.
The avifauna of the Prince Edward Islands include a total of 76 species. 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. 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 in the Prince Edward Islands (I) Introduced - a species introduced to the Prince Edward Islands as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl 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.
Northern pintail, Anas acuta (A)
Pigeons and doves Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Ring-necked dove, Streptopelia capicola (A) Laughing dove, Streptopelia senegalensis (A)
Cuckoos Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites.
African cuckoo, Cuculus gularis (A)
Swifts 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.
Common swift, Apus apus (A)
Sheathbills Order: Charadriiformes Family: Chionididae The sheathbills are scavengers of the Antarctic regions. They have white plumage and look plump and dove-like but are believed to be similar to the ancestors of the modern gulls and terns.
Black-faced sheathbill, Chionis minor
Plovers and lapwings Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water.
Common ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula (A) Three-banded plover, Charadrius tricollaris (A)
Sandpipers and allies 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.
Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus (A) Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres Little stint, Calidris minuta (A) Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos (A) Terek sandpiper, Xenus cinereus (A) Red phalarope, Phalaropus fulicarius (A) Common sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos Common greenshank, Tringa nebularia Wood sandpiper, Tringa glareola (A)
Skuas and jaegers 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.
Brown skua, Stercorarius antarcticus Parasitic jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus (A)
Gulls, terns, and skimmers 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.
Sabine's gull, Xema sabini (A) Franklin's gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan (A) Lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus (A) Kelp gull, Larus dominicanus Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea Antarctic tern, Sterna vittata Kerguelen tern, Sterna virgata
Penguins 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.
King penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus Gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua Chinstrap penguin, Pygoscelis antarcticus Macaroni penguin, Eudyptes chrysolophus Southern rockhopper penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome
Albatrosses 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.
Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross, Thalassarche chlororhynchos Indian yellow-nosed albatross, Thalassarche carteri Gray-headed albatross, Thalassarche chrysostoma White-capped albatross, Thalassarche cauta (A) Black-browed albatross, Thalassarche melanophris (A) Sooty albatross, Phoebetria fusca Light-mantled albatross, Phoebetria palpebrata Southern royal albatross, Diomedea epomophora (A) Wandering albatross, Diomedea exulans
Southern storm-petrels 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.
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