Birds
Land birds | Seabirds | Vagrants and migrant birds | Introduced birds | Bird brochure
There are 23 breeding or resident species of birds on Christmas Island. This includes nine species of seabird (two species and two subspecies are endemic) and 14 land birds (six are recent arrivals).
Land birds
The 14 species of land birds include 3 endemic species and 4 endemic sub-species.
- The glossy cave swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta natalis) feeds on flying insects and nests in caves or overhangs.
- The imperial pigeon (Ducula whartoni) feeds mainly on fruits in the rainforest and settled areas.
- The emerald dove (Chalcophaps indica natalis) feeds on fruits, seeds and insects on the forest floor.
- The Christmas Island hawk owl (Ninox natalis- listed as endangered) feeds on small mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates.
- The goshawk (Accipiter fasciatus natalis) also feeds on small mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates.
- The white-eye (Zosterops natalis) is common in the park and feeds on fruit, nectar and insects.
- Island thrush (Turdus poliocephalus erythropleurus) is also commonly in the park and feeds on fruit, nectar and insects.
- The Australasian kestrel (Falco cenchroides) is found in open areas of the island.
- The white-faced heron (Ardea novaehollandae) has established itself in open areas.
- Eastern reef egrets occur in small numbers around the shoreline.
- The white-breasted water hen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) from south-east Asia is now established and breeding in the north-east section of the park and on the fringes of the settled areas.
Seabirds
Of the eight species or sub-species of sea-birds that nest in the park three are endemic. The most numerous sea-bird is the widespread red-footed booby (Sula sula rubripes), which nests in colonies in trees on the shore terraces. The brown booby (Sula leucogaster plotus) nests on the ground at the edge of the seacliff and inland cliffs. Christmas Island has one of the largest populations of brown boobies in the world. Abbott's booby (Papasula abbotti - listed as endangered), nests in tall emergent trees of the western and southern plateau rainforest. This forest is the only remaining nesting habitat of abbott's booby left in the world. Abbott's booby is endemic to the Island.
The endemic Christmas Island frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi - listed as endangered) now nests in only three small and discrete areas on the island: one above the Golf Course; one in the forest on the north coast between North East Point and Settlement; and another small colony on Smith Point.
The widespread great frigatebird (Fregata minor minor) nests in colonies in trees on the shore terraces all around the island and the greatest concentrations are around North West Point and the western terraces of South Point. The common noddy (Anous stolidus pileatus) nests on ledges along the seacliff and in trees along the shore terrace. There are two species of bosun or tropic bird. The red-tailed tropicbird or silver bosun (Phaethon rubricauda westralis) nests in depressions along the coastal and inland cliffs while the endemic sub-species of white-tailed tropicbird, the golden bosun (Phaethon lepturus fulvus), uses tree and cliff hollows all over the Island.
Vagrants and migrant birds
Owing to its proximity to Southeast Asia, Christmas Island attracts a lot of vagrant species never or rarely recorded in other parts of Australia and its Territories. A handful of migrants and vagrants also arrive from Australia. Many of these have only been recorded once or twice but some are recorded regularly. Vagrants have occurred at all times of the year, but the best period is in the Wet Season from September to March.
Some of the most regular migrants include barn swallow (Aug-Apr), common sandpiper (Oct-Mar), oriental cuckoo (Oct-Dec), grey wagtail (Sept-Jan) and yellow wagtail (Sept-Nov).
A number of rarities recorded on Christmas Island have never been recorded elsewhere in Australia. These include such cripplers as cinnamon and schrenck's bitterns, Malayan night heron, watercock, asian koel, savannah nightjar, common kingfisher, asian house martin and brown shrike, amongst others. Most migrants and vagrants have been recorded in open areas, and few have been recorded inside the forest.
Pacific golden plover |
(Pluvialis fulva) |
Oriental plover |
(Charadrius veredus) |
Red-capped/Kentish plover |
(Charadrius spp.) |
Little curlew |
(Numenius minutus) |
Ruddy turnstone |
(Arenaria interpres) |
Common greenshank |
(Tringa nebularia) |
Snipe spp. |
(Gallinago spp.) |
Red-necked stint |
(Calidris ruficollis) |
Oriental pratincole |
(Glareola maldivarum ) |
Australian pratincole |
(Stiltia isabella) |
Wedge-tailed shearwater |
(Puffinous pacificus ) |
Matsudaira's storm-petrel |
(Oceanodroma matsudairae) |
Australian pelican |
(Pelecanus conspicillatus) |
Great cormorant |
(Phalacrocorax carbo) |
Lesser frigatebird |
(Fregata ariel) |
Striated heron |
(Butorides striatus) |
Rufous night heron |
(Gorsachius melanolophus) |
Yellow bittern |
(Ixobrychus sinensis) |
Black bittern |
(Dupetor flavicollis) |
Sooty oystercatcher |
(Haematopus fuliginosa) |
Grey plover |
(Pluvialis squatarola) |
Little ringed plover |
(Charadrius dubius) |
Black-winged stilt |
(Himantopus himantopus) |
Wood sandpiper |
(Tringa glareola) |
Marsh sandpiper |
(Tringa stagnatili) |
Grey wagtail |
(Motacilla cinere) |
Yellow wagtail |
(Motacilla flav) |
Red-rumped swallow |
(Hirundo dauric) |
Fork tailed swift |
(Apus pacificus) |
Introduced birds
Chickens have become feral and occur around the fringes of the park, while some ducks and turkeys exist under semi free-range conditions in the settled area. Java sparrows and tree sparrows are established round the settled area. Java sparrows have also spread to the fringes of the park in the Irvine Hill and Hanitch Hill area.