List of birds of Solomon Islands
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.
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.
Order: Caprimulgiformes Family: Apodidae Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying.
They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings.
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.
Order: Charadriiformes Family: Turnicidae The buttonquail are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails.
Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head.
Order: Phaethontiformes Family: Phaethontidae Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers.
Order: Procellariiformes Family: Oceanitidae The southern storm-petrels are relatives of the petrels and are the smallest seabirds.
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.
Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.
Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Pelecanidae Pelicans are large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak.
Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.
Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey.
Order: Bucerotiformes Family: Bucerotidae Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible.
The river kingfishers are usually found close to water, and hunt small fish and similar aquatic prey by diving, either from a branch or from the air.
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Coraciidae Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters.
Old World parrots are found from Africa east across south and southeast Asia and Oceania to Australia and New Zealand.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Pittidae Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills.
They spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrates.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Acanthizidae Thornbills are small passerine birds, similar in habits to the tits.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Rhipiduridae The fantails are small insectivorous birds which are specialist aerial feeders.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Dicruridae The drongos are mostly black or dark grey in colour, sometimes with metallic tints.
Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence.
They occupy a wide range of wooded habitats, from subalpine to tropical rainforest and mangrove swamp to semi-arid scrubland.
The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia and surroundings, but it also ranges far into the Pacific, with some species in Africa.
They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape.
[1] Order: Passeriformes Family: Zosteropidae The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World.
Order: Passeriformes Family: Estrildidae The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia.
