Birds of Christmas Island

The Birds of Christmas Island form a heterogeneous group of over 100 species. There is a core group of ten endemics that have evolved on the remote island in the eastern Indian Ocean for thousands of years, attended by a suite of regular migrants, opportunists and occasional visitors. Some 200 km from the nearest land, Java, Christmas Island was not occupied by humans until the late 19th Century. It is now an Australian territory. The natural vegetation of most of the 140 km² island is rainforest, to which the endemic landbirds are adapted, while the seabirds have taken advantage of a breeding location which had no major natural predators.

After over a century of human exploitation of the phosphate deposits covering much of the island, two thirds of the rainforest cover remains and is now protected as a national park. However, gaps where the forest has been cleared, and the introduction of exotic fauna, continue to destabilise the island’s biological diversity. The endemic Abbott's Booby is threatened when nesting by wind turbulence caused by past forest clearance. However, the biggest immediate threat is the introduction and spread of Yellow Crazy Ants, through both direct predation and ecosystem collapse. This has led to all the island’s endemic bird species and subspecies being classified as Critically Endangered.

Meanwhile the number of species recorded from Christmas Island continues to increase as birders, especially from Australia, attracted by the island’s endemics, record a variety of vagrants hitherto unnoticed. Some of these may in time, as with the White-breasted Waterhen, establish breeding populations. Christmas Island is now seen as a birding ‘hot spot’, not only for its endemics but also for the chance of recording new species for the Australian bird list, something reflected in the frequency of submissions of sightings to the Birds Australia Rarities Committee.

List of birds

* Phasianidae
** Red Junglefowl, "Gallus gallus" - introduced, hybridising with feral domestic fowl
* Anatidae
** Garganey, "Anas querquedula" - vagrant
* Procellariidae
** Bulwer's Petrel, "Bulweria bulwerii" - vagrant
** Barau's Petrel, "Pterodroma baraui" - vagrant
** Wedge-tailed Shearwater, "Puffinus pacificus" - vagrant
* Hydrobatidae
** Matsudaira's Storm-Petrel, "Oceanodroma matsudairae" - vagrant
* Phaethontidae
** White-tailed Tropicbird, "Phaethon lepturus fulvus" - endemic subspecies
** Red-tailed Tropicbird, "Phaethon rubricauda" - breeding
* Sulidae
** Abbott's Booby, "Papasula abbotti" - endemic species
** Brown Booby, "Sula leucogaster" - breeding
** Red-footed Booby, "Sula sula" - breeding
* Phalacrocoracidae
** Great Cormorant, "Phalacrocorax carbo" - vagrant
** Little Black Cormorant, "Phalacrocorax sulcirostris" - vagrant
* Pelecanidae
** Australian Pelican, "Pelecanus conspicillatus" - vagrant
* Fregatidae
** Christmas Frigatebird, "Fregata andrewsi" - endemic species
** Lesser Frigatebird, "Fregata ariel" - regular visitor
** Great Frigatebird, "Fregata minor" - breeding
* Ardeidae
** Great Egret, "Ardea alba" - vagrant
** Cattle Egret, "Ardea ibis" - vagrant
** Intermediate Egret, "Ardea intermedia" - vagrant
** White-faced Heron, "Ardea novaehollandiae" - breeding
** Chinese Pond Heron, "Ardeola bacchus" - vagrant
** Javan Pond Heron, "Ardeola speciosa" - vagrant
** Striated Heron, "Butorides striatus" - vagrant
** Little Egret, "Egretta garzetta" - vagrant
** Eastern Reef Egret, "Egretta sacra" - breeding
** Malayan Night Heron, "Gorsachius melanolophus" - vagrant
** Cinnamon Bittern, "Ixobrychus cinnamomeus" - vagrant
** Schrenck's Bittern, "Ixobrychus eurhythmus" - vagrant
** Black Bittern, "Ixobrychus flavicollis" - vagrant
** Yellow Bittern, "Ixobrychus sinensis" - vagrant
** Nankeen Night-Heron, "Nycticorax caledonicus" - vagrant
* Threskiornithidae
** Glossy Ibis, "Plegadis falcinellus" - vagrant
* Accipitridae
** Christmas Island Goshawk, "Accipiter natalis" - endemic species
** White-bellied Sea-Eagle, "Haliaeetus leucogaster" - vagrant
** Oriental Honey Buzzard, "Pernis ptilorhynchus " - vagrant
* Falconidae
** Nankeen Kestrel, "Falco cenchroides" - breeding
** Peregrine Falcon, "Falco peregrinus" - vagrant
** Northern Hobby, "Falco subbuteo" - vagrant
* Rallidae
** White-breasted Waterhen, "Amaurornis phoenicurus" - breeding
** Eurasian Coot, "Fulica atra" - vagrant
** Watercock, "Gallicrex cinerea" - vagrant
** Ruddy-breasted Crake, "Porzana fusca" - vagrant
** Black-tailed Native-hen, "Gallinula ventralis" - vagrant
* Scolopacidae
** Common Sandpiper, "Actitis hypoleucos" - regular visitor
** Ruddy Turnstone, "Arenaria interpres" - regular visitor
** Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, "Calidris acuminata" - vagrant
** Sanderling, "Calidris alba" - regular visitor
** Curlew Sandpiper, "Calidris ferruginea" - vagrant
** Red-necked Stint, "Calidris ruficollis" - regular visitor
** Long-toed Stint, "Calidris subminuta" - vagrant
** Great Knot, "Calidris tenuirostris" - vagrant
** Pin-tailed Snipe, "Gallinago stenura" - vagrant
** Bar-tailed Godwit, "Limosa lapponica" - vagrant
** Little Curlew, "Numenius minutus" - vagrant
** Whimbrel, "Numenius phaeopus" - regular visitor
** Grey-tailed Tattler, "Tringa brevipes" - vagrant
** Wood Sandpiper, "Tringa glareola" - regular visitor
** Common Greenshank, "Tringa nebularia" - regular visitor
** Marsh Sandpiper, "Tringa stagnatilis" - vagrant
** Terek Sandpiper, "Xenus cinereus" - vagrant
** Common Redshank, "Tringa totanus" - vagrant
* Haematopodidae
** Sooty Oystercatcher, "Haematopus fuliginosus" - vagrant
* Recurvirostridae
** Black-winged Stilt, "Himantopus himantopus" - vagrant
* Charadriidae
** Little Ringed Plover, "Charadrius dubius" - vagrant
** Greater Sand Plover, "Charadrius leschenaultii" - regular visitor
** Lesser Sand Plover, "Charadrius mongolus" - regular visitor
** Oriental Plover, "Charadrius veredus" - vagrant
** Pacific Golden Plover, "Pluvialis fulva" - regular visitor
** Grey Plover, "Pluvialis squatarola" - vagrant
** Masked Lapwing, "Vanellus miles" - vagrant
* Glareolidae
** Oriental Pratincole, "Glareola maldivarum" - vagrant
** Australian Pratincole, "Stiltia isabella" - vagrant
* Laridae
** Common Noddy, "Anous stolidus" - breeding
** Lesser Noddy, "Anous tenuirostris" - vagrant
** Whiskered Tern, "Chlidonias hybridus" - vagrant
** White Tern, "Gygis alba" - vagrant
** Mew Gull, "Larus canus" - vagrant
** Arctic Jaeger, "Stercorarius parasiticus" - vagrant
** Crested Tern, "Sterna bergii" - vagrant
** Sooty Tern, "Sterna fuscata" - vagrant
* Columbidae
** Emerald Dove, "Chalcophaps indica natalis" - endemic subspecies
** Pied Imperial-Pigeon, "Ducula bicolor" - vagrant
** Christmas Island Imperial-Pigeon, "Ducula whartoni" - endemic species
** Red Turtle-Dove, "Streptopelia tranquebarica" - vagrant
* Psittacidae
** Rose-ringed Parakeet, "Psittacula krameri" - introduced, breeding?
* Cuculidae
** Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, "Chrysococcyx basalis" - vagrant
** Pallid Cuckoo, "Cuculus pallidus" - vagrant
** Oriental Cuckoo, "Cuculus saturatus" - vagrant
** Asian Koel, "Eudynamys scolopacea" - vagrant
* Strigidae
** Christmas Island Hawk-Owl, "Ninox natalis" - endemic species
* Caprimulgidae
** Savanna Nightjar, "Caprimulgus affinis" - vagrant
* Apodidae
** Fork-tailed Swift, "Apus pacificus" - vagrant
** Needletail, "Hirundapus" sp. - vagrant
** Christmas Island Glossy Swiftlet, "Collocalia esculenta natalis" - endemic subspecies
* Alcedinidae
** Common Kingfisher, "Alcedo atthis" - vagrant
* Halcyonidae
** Collared Kingfisher, "Todiramphus chloris" - vagrant
** Sacred Kingfisher, "Todiramphus sanctus" - vagrant
* Coraciidae
** Dollarbird, "Eurystomus orientalis" - vagrant
* Pittidae
** Blue-winged Pitta, "Pitta moluccensis" - vagrant
* Laniidae
** Brown Shrike, "Lanius cristatus" - vagrant
* Motacillidae
** White Wagtail, "Motacilla alba" - vagrant
** Grey Wagtail, "Motacilla cinerea" - regular visitor
** Yellow Wagtail, "Motacilla flava" - vagrant
* Passeridae
** Java Sparrow, "Padda oryzivora" - introduced, breeding
** Eurasian Tree Sparrow, "Passer montanus" - breeding
* Hirundinidae
** Asian House Martin, "Delichon dasypus" - vagrant
** Red-rumped Swallow, "Hirundo daurica" - vagrant
** Tree Martin, "Hirundo nigricans" - vagrant
** Barn Swallow, "Hirundo rustica" - regular visitor
* Zosteropidae
** Christmas Island White-eye, "Zosterops natalis" - endemic species
* Muscicapidae
** Blue-and-white Flycatcher, "Cyanoptila cyanomelana" - vagrant
** Christmas Island Thrush, "Turdus poliocephalus erythropleurus" - endemic subspecies
* Sturnidae
** Purple-backed Starling, "Sturnus sturninus" - vagrant

References

* [http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/birding-aus/ Birding-Aus Mailing List Archives]
* [http://users.bigpond.net.au/palliser/barc/barc-home.html Birds Australia Rarities Committee decisions and case summaries]
* [http://birdswa.iinet.net.au/sightings/ Birds WA sightings]
* Carter, Mike. (1994). Birds of Australia’s Christmas Island. "Wingspan" 13: 18-21.
* Garnett, Stephen T.; & Crowley, Gabriel M. (2000). "The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000". Environment Australia: Canberra. ISBN 0-642-54683-5
* Reville, Barry J. (1993). "A Visitor’s Guide to the Birds of Christmas Island, Indian Ocean". Christmas Island Natural History Association: Christmas Island. ISBN 0-9591210-4-8
* Stattersfield, Alison J.; Crosby, Michael J.; Long, Adrian J.; & Wege, David C. (1998). "Endemic Bird Areas of the World. Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation". BirdLife International: Cambridge. ISBN 0-946888-33-7

External links

* [http://www.deh.gov.au/parks/christmas/fauna/birds.html DEH - Christmas Island fauna - birds]
* [http://www.christmas.net.au/parks/birds/birds_of_christmas_island.htm Birds of Christmas Island]