Christmas Island

B i r d s

One of the greatest natural attributes on Christmas Island is the birds. Being the only landmass for such a vast distance in the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island is an important refuge for seabirds and migrating birds. The eons of physical isolation also ensured that Christmas Island has a few endemic gems that are not found anywhere else in the world. There are only 23 species of resident birds (including feral or introduced species) on Christmas Island. Though lacking much in diversity, Christmas Island can boast of being home to some of the rarest birds in the world, and how visitors can easily get see and photograph them. Examples of such are the Christmas Island Frigatebird, and Abbott’s Bobby, both of these classified as highly endangered species, only breed on Christmas Island and nowhere else in the world.

The eons of isolation has enabled a number of other endemics to evolve on the island. The Christmas Island Imperial Pigeon, Christmas Island Hawk-Owl, and Christmas Island White-eye are the three endemic terrestrial birds. There are a number of endemic avian subspecies on Christmas Island too, namely the endemic subspecies of the Brown Goshawk, Island Thrush, Glossy Swiftlet, Emerald Dove, and the yellow morph of the White-tailed Tropicbird (locally referred to as the Golden Bosunbird). Since the arrival of humans on Christmas Island, a number of exotic birds have also been introduced onto the island either accidentally or intentionally.


Red-tailed Tropicbird (Silver Bosunbird) Phaeton rubricauda				White-tailed Tropicbird (Golden Bosunbird) Phaeton lepturus fulvus

Christmas Island Frigatebird Fregata adrewsi				Great Frigatebird Fregata minor

Abbott's Booby Sula abbotti				Brown Booby Sula leucogaster

Red-footed Booby Sula sulai				Brown (Common) Noddy Anous stolidus

Pacific Reef Egret Egretta sacra				White-faced Heron Ardea novaehollandiae

Christmas Island Imperial Pigeon Ducula whartoni				Christmas Island Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica natalis

Christmas Island Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus natalis				Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides

Christmas Island Thrush Turdus poliocephalus erythropleurus				Christmas Island White-eye Zosterops natalis

Christmas Island Hawk-Owl Ninox natalis				White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus

Java Sparrow Padda oryzivora				Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

In addition to the 23 residential bird species, Christmas Island is temporary refuge for a large number of migrating bird species. Christmas Island is thus a haven for twitchers from Australia trying to “tick off” those rare vagrant Asian birds on the Australian bird list. Below are some migrating birds to Christmas Island.


Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus				Nankeen Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus

	Red Collared Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica

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