List of birds of Guadeloupe

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This is a list of the bird species recorded in Guadeloupe.

endemic, 11 have been introduced by humans, and 158 are rare or accidental. Two species have been extirpated
and another possibly has been. An additional accidental species has been added from another source.

This list is presented in the

Clements taxonomy
because the AOS list does not include them. French names in parentheses are also from the Check-list.

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The tags and notes on population status are also from Bird Checklists of the World.

  • (A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Guadeloupe
  • (I) Introduced - a species introduced directly to Guadeloupe or elsewhere in the New World
  • (EXT) Extinct - a species which no longer exists
  • (EXP) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in Guadeloupe although populations exist elsewhere


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.

  • White-faced whistling-duck
    (dendrocygne veuf), Dendrocygna viduata (A)
  • Black-bellied whistling-duck
    (dendrocygne à ventre noir), Dendrocygna autumnalis (A)
  • West Indian whistling-duck
    (dendrocygne des Antilles), Dendrocygna arborea (A) (Vulnerable)
  • Fulvous whistling-duck
    (dendrocygne fauve), Dendrocygna bicolor (A)
  • Snow goose (oie des neiges), Anser caerulescens (A)
  • Wood duck (canard branchu), Aix sponsa (A)
  • Garganey (sarcelle d'été), Spatula querquedula (A)
  • Blue-winged teal (sarcelle à ailes bleues), Anas discors
  • Northern shoveler (canard souchet), Anas clypeata (A)
  • Gadwall (canard chipeau), Mareca strepera (A)
  • Eurasian wigeon (canard siffleur), Mareca penelope (A)
  • American wigeon (canard d'Amérique), Mareca americana (A)
  • Mallard (canard colvert), Anas platyrhynchos (A)
  • American black duck (canard noir), Anas rubripes (A)
  • White-cheeked pintail (canard des Bahamas), Anas bahamensis (A)
  • Northern pintail (canard pilet), Anas acuta (A)
  • Green-winged teal (sarcelle d'hiver), Anas crecca (A)
  • Ring-necked duck (fuligule à collier), Aythya collaris
  • Tufted duck (fuligule morillon), Aythya fuligula (A)
  • Lesser scaup (petit fuligule), Aythya affinis
  • Hooded merganser (harle couronné), Lophodytes cucullatus (A)
  • Masked duck (érismature routoutou), Nomonyx dominicus
  • Ruddy duck (érismature rousse), Oxyura jamaicensis

Pheasants, grouse, and allies

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of

jungle fowls
. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.

Flamingos

Order:

Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside down.

Grebes

Order:

Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land.

Pigeons and doves

Order:

Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

cere
.

Cuckoos

Order:

Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes

brood parasites
.

Nightjars and allies

Order:

Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves.

Swifts

Order:

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.

Hummingbirds

Order:

Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards.

Rails, gallinules, and coots

Order:

Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the

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.

Limpkin

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Aramidae

The limpkin resembles a large rail. It has drab-brown plumage and a grayer head and neck.

  • Limpkin (courlan brun), Aramus guarauna (A)

Stilts and avocets

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

Oystercatchers

Order:

Haematopodidae

The

molluscs
.

Plovers and lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the

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.

Sandpipers and allies

Order:

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.

Pratincoles

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Glareolidae

Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards.

Skuas and jaegers

Order:

Stercorariidae

The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with gray 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

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds and includes

skimmers
. They are typically gray or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with gray 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. Skimmers are a small family of tropical tern-like birds. They have an elongated lower mandible which they use to feed by flying low over the water surface and skimming the water for small fish.

Tropicbirds

Order:

Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans with exceptionally long central tail feathers. Their heads and long wings have black markings.

Albatrosses

Order:

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

Order:

Oceanitidae

The storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like. Until 2018, this family's species were included with the other storm-petrels in family Hydrobatidae.

  • Wilson's storm-petrel
    (océanite de Wilson), Oceanites oceanicus

Northern storm-petrels

Order:

Hydrobatidae

Though the members of this family are similar in many respects to the southern storm-petrels, including their general appearance and habits, there are enough genetic differences to warrant their placement in a separate family.

  • Leach's storm-petrel
    (océanite cul-blanc), Hydrobates leucorhous

Shearwaters and petrels

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.

Frigatebirds

Order:

Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black-and-white, or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colored inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.

Boobies and gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium to large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.

Cormorants and shags

Order:

Phalacrocoracidae

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

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. As with other members of the order Pelecaniformes, they have webbed feet with four toes.

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

Order:

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.

Ibises and spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.

Osprey

Order:

Pandionidae

The family Pandionidae contains only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.

  • Osprey (balbuzard pêcheur), Pandion haliaetus (A)

Hawks, eagles, and kites

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.

Barn-owls

Order:

Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons.

  • Barn owl (effraie des clochers), Tyto alba (A)

Owls

Order:

Strigidae

The

typical owls
are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Kingfishers

Order:

Alcedinidae

Water kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Woodpeckers

Order:

Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.

New World and African parrots

Order:

Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak. Their upper mandibles have slight mobility in the joint with the skull and they have a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two to the back.

Tyrant flycatchers

Order:

Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust and have stronger bills. They do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of the songbirds. Most, but not all, have plain coloring. As the name implies, most are insectivorous.

Vireos, shrike-babblers, and erpornis

Order:

Vireonidae

The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are typically greenish in color and resemble New World warblers apart from their heavier bills.

Swallows

Order:

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.

  • Bank swallow
    (hirondelle de rivage), Riparia riparia
  • Tree swallow (hirondelle bicolore), Tachycineta bicolor (A)
  • Northern rough-winged swallow (hirondelle à ailes hérissées), Stelgidopteryx serripennis (A)
  • Purple martin (hirondelle noire), Progne subis (A)
  • Cuban martin (hirondelle de Cuba), Progne cryptoleuca (A)
  • Caribbean martin (hirondelle à ventre blanc), Progne dominicensis
  • Barn swallow (hirondelle rustique), Hirundo rustica
  • Common house-martin
    (hirondelle de fenêtre), Delichon urbica (A)
  • Cliff swallow
    (hirondelle à front blanc), Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
  • Cave swallow (hirondelle à front brun), Petrochelidon fulva (A)

Waxwings

Order:

Bombycillidae

The waxwings are a group of passerine birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and cedar waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter.

Wrens

Order:

Troglodytidae

The wrens are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous.

  • House wren (troglodyte familier), Troglodytes aedon (EXP)

Mockingbirds and thrashers

Order:

Mimidae

The mimids are a family of passerine birds that includes

New World catbirds
. These birds are notable for their vocalizations, especially their ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. Their coloring tends towards dull-grays and browns.

Thrushes and allies

Order:

Turdidae

The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly 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.

  • Gray-cheeked thrush
    (grive à joues grises), Catharus minimus (A)
  • Swainson's thrush (grive à dos olive), Catharus ustulatus (A)
  • Spectacled thrush (merle à lunettes), Turdus nudigenis
  • Forest thrush (grive à pieds jaunes), Turdus lherminieri (near-threatened)

Old World flycatchers

Order:

Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is highly varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls.

Weavers and allies

Order:

Passeriformes   Family: Ploceidae

The weavers are small passerine birds related to the finches. They are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The males of many species are brightly colored, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in color only in the breeding season.

Waxbills and allies

Order:

Passeriformes   Family: Estrildidae

The

estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia
. They are gregarious and often colonial seed eaters with short thick but pointed bills. They are all similar in build and habits, but have wide variation in plumage colors and patterns.

Old World sparrows

Order:

Passeridae

Sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or gray birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects.

Finches, euphonias, and allies

Order:

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.

Troupials and allies

Order:

Icteridae

The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World and include the

New World blackbirds, and New World orioles
. Most species have black as the predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red.

New World warblers

Order:

Parulidae

The New World warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some are terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores.

Cardinals and allies

Order:

Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

The cardinals are a family of robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinct plumages.

Tanagers and allies

Order:

Thraupidae

The tanagers are a large group of small to medium-sized passerine birds restricted to the New World, mainly in the tropics. Many species are brightly colored. As a family they are omnivorous, but individual species specialize in eating fruits, seeds, insects, or other types of food. Most have short, rounded wings.

Notes

  1. ^ Black-capped petrel formerly nested, but is now apparently extirpated

References

  1. ^ Lepage, Denis (June 13, 2021). "Checklist of Birds of Guadeloupe". Avibase bird checklists of the world. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, R. A. Jiménez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2022. Check-list of North American Birds (online). American Ornithological Society. (July 29, 2022). "Check-list of North and Middle American Birds". American Ornithological Society. Retrieved July 7, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Farnsworth, A. (2020). Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.bkcpet.01. Downloaded September 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "Ibycter americanus". GBIF. Retrieved 21 September 2023.

See also

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