List of birds of Niue

Polynesian starling

There are 57 species of birds that have been recorded on Niue, of which one has been introduced by humans.[1] Two species are globally threatened. Niue is an island country in the South Pacific, 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) northeast of New Zealand.

There are no endemic species surviving today but there are endemic subspecies of the Polynesian triller and Polynesian starling.[2] There are 15 breeding species of which eleven are landbirds and four are seabirds. Studies of fossil birds suggest that Niue's avifauna was formerly more diverse.[2] Birds recorded from subfossil remains predating Polynesian settlement of the island include the Niue night heron (Nycticorax kalavikai), Tongan megapode (Megapodius pritchardii) and the Niue rail (Gallirallus huiatua).[3]

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition.[4] The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for Niue. There are unconfirmed reports of the red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda), Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa) and sharp-tailed sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) but these are not included in the list.[1]

The following tags have been used to highlight several categories, but not all species fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring native species.

  • (A) Accidental – a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Niue
  • (I) Introduced – a species introduced to Niue as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions


  1. ^ a b Watling, Dick (2001) A Guide to the Birds of Fiji & Western Polynesia, Environmental Consultants (Fiji), Suva.
  2. ^ a b Worthy T. H.; Walter, R. & Anderson, Atholl (1998) Fossil and archaeological avifauna of Niue Island, Pacific Ocean Archived 2008-10-17 at the Wayback Machine. Notornis, 45: 177–190.
  3. ^ Steadman, David W.; Worthy, Trevor H.; Anderson, Atholl & Walter, Richard. (1 June 2000). "New species and records of birds from prehistoric sites on Niue, southwest Pacific". Wilson Bulletin. 112 (2): 165–186. doi:10.1676/0043-5643(2000)112[0165:NSAROB]2.0.CO;2. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007.(subscription required)
  4. ^ Clements, James F. (2000). Birds of the World: A Checklist. Cornell University Press. p. 880. ISBN 0-934797-16-1.