Birds of Ashmore Reef

The Birds of Ashmore Reef comprise three main groups:
# Seabirds, including at least five species of breeding terns, with several other seabirds, including petrels, recorded in the surrounding waters
# Migratory shorebirds en route from northern Asia to Australia
# Landbirds, only three breeding species (two herons and a rail) but several others, including passerines, visit, either on migration to northern Australia or as vagrants

List of birds

* Procellariidae
** Bulwer's Petrel, "Bulweria bulwerii" - vagrant
** Jouanin's Petrel, "Bulweria fallax " - vagrant
** Tahiti Petrel, "Pseudobulweria rostrata" - vagrant
** Wedge-tailed Shearwater, "Puffinus pacificus" - regular visitor
** Swinhoe's Storm-Petrel, "Oceanodroma monorhis" – vagrant
* Phaethontidae
** White-tailed Tropicbird, "Phaethon lepturus" - regular visitor
** Red-tailed Tropicbird, "Phaethon rubricauda" - regular visitor
* Sulidae
** Abbott's Booby, "Papasula abbotti" - vagrant
** Masked Booby, "Sula dactylatra" - regular visitor
** Brown Booby, "Sula leucogaster" - regular visitor
** Red-footed Booby, "Sula sula" - regular visitor
* Fregatidae
** Lesser Frigatebird, "Fregata ariel" - regular visitor
** Great Frigatebird, "Fregata minor" - regular visitor
* Ardeidae
** Great Egret, "Ardea alba" - vagrant
** Little Egret, "Egretta garzetta" - breeding
** Eastern Reef Egret, "Egretta sacra" - breeding
** Nankeen Night Heron, "Nycticorax caledonicus" – vagrant
* Rallidae
** White-breasted Waterhen, "Amaurornis phoenicurus" - vagrant
** Buff-banded Rail, "Gallirallus philippensis" – breeding
* Turnicidae
** Red-backed Button-quail, "Turnix maculosa" – vagrant
* Scolopacidae
** Common Sandpiper, "Actitis hypoleucos" - passage migrant
** Ruddy Turnstone, "Arenaria interpres" - passage migrant
** Sanderling, "Calidris alba" - passage migrant
** Red Knot, "Calidris canutus" - passage migrant
** Curlew Sandpiper, "Calidris ferruginea" - passage migrant
** Red-necked Stint, "Calidris ruficollis" - passage migrant
** Great Knot, "Calidris tenuirostris" - passage migrant
** ?Snipe, "Gallinago sp." - passage migrant
** Grey-tailed Tattler, "Heteroscelus brevipes" - passage migrant
** Asian Dowitcher, "Limnodromus semipalmatus" - passage migrant
** Bar-tailed Godwit, "Limosa lapponica" - passage migrant
** Black-tailed Godwit, "Limosa limosa" - passage migrant
** Eastern Curlew, "Numenius madagascariensis" - passage migrant
** Little Curlew, "Numenius minutus" - passage migrant
** Whimbrel, "Numenius phaeopus" - passage migrant
** Common Greenshank, "Tringa nebularia" - passage migrant
** Marsh Sandpiper, "Tringa stagnatilis" - passage migrant
** Common Redshank, "Tringa totanus" - passage migrant
* Charadriidae
** Greater Sand Plover, "Charadrius leschenaultii" - passage migrant
** Lesser Sand Plover, "Charadrius mongolus" - passage migrant
** Oriental Plover, "Charadrius veredus" - passage migrant
** Pacific Golden Plover, "Pluvialis fulva" - passage migrant
** Grey Plover, "Pluvialis squatarola" – vagrant
* Laridae
** Long-tailed Jaeger, "Stercorarius longicaudus" - vagrant
** Arctic Jaeger, "Stercorarius parasiticus" - vagrant
** Pomarine Jaeger, "Stercorarius pomarinus" - vagrant
** Black Noddy, "Anous minutus" - breeding
** Common Noddy, "Anous stolidus" - breeding
** Lesser Noddy, "Anous tenuirostris" - possibly breeding
** Little Tern, "Sterna albifrons" - vagrant
** Bridled Tern, "Sterna anaethetus" - breeding
** Crested Tern, "Sterna bergii" - breeding
** Sooty Tern, "Sterna fuscata" – breeding
* Cuculidae
** Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo, "Chrysococcyx basalis" - vagrant
** Little Bronze Cuckoo, "Chrysococcyx minutillus" - vagrant
** Gould's Bronze Cuckoo, "Chrysococcyx russatus" - vagrant
** Oriental Cuckoo, "Cuculus saturatus" - vagrant
** Common Koel, "Eudynamys scolopacea" – vagrant
* Centropodidae
** Lesser Coucal, "Centropus bengalensis" – vagrant
* Caprimulgidae
** Grey Nightjar, "Caprimulgus indicus" – vagrant
* Apodidae
** House Swift, "Apus affinis" - vagrant
** Fork-tailed Swift, "Apus pacificus" – vagrant
* Halcyonidae
** Collared Kingfisher, "Todiramphus chloris" – vagrant
** Sacred Kingfisher, "Todiramphus sanctus" – vagrant
* Meropidae
** Rainbow Bee-eater, "Merops ornatus" – vagrant
* Coraciidae
** Dollarbird, "Eurystomus orientalis"
* Dicruridae
** Island Monarch, "Monarcha cinerascens" – vagrant
* Motacillidae
** Pechora Pipit, "Anthus gustavi" - vagrant
** Grey Wagtail, "Motacilla cinerea" - vagrant
** Yellow Wagtail, "Motacilla flava" - passage migrant
* Passeridae
** Pale-headed Munia , "Lonchura pallida " – vagrant
* Hirundinidae
** Barn Swallow, "Hirundo rustica" – vagrant
* Sylviidae
** Oriental Reed-Warbler, "Acrocephalus orientalis" - vagrant
** Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler, "Locustella ochotensis" - vagrant
** Tawny Grassbird, "Megalurus timoriensis" - vagrant
** Arctic Warbler, "Phylloscopus borealis" - regular visitor
* Muscicapidae
** Asian Brown Flycatcher, "Muscicapa dauurica" - vagrant

References

* [http://users.bigpond.net.au/palliser/barc/barc-home.html Birds Australia Rarities Committee – decisions and case summaries]
* [http://bioacoustics.cse.unsw.edu.au/birding-aus/ Birding-Aus Mailing List Archives]
* [http://birdswa.iinet.net.au/sightings/ Birds WA sightings]
* Commonwealth of Australia. (2002). Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve and Cartier Island Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) Management Plans. Environment Australia: Canberra.