BREEDING SPECIES

Sixty-two species of birds breed in Seychelles. This total includes 14 endemics, 18 seabirds, 11 waterbirds, 10 native (non-endemic) land birds and 9 introduced species.


Seychelles Endemics
BirdLife International recognise 13 Seychelles endemics. Aldabra Fody is not currently recognised. However, thorough (nuclear and mitochondrial) DNA analysis has shown Aldabra Fody is not closely related to other fodies and shows plumage and structural characters distinct from all other fodies. There is currently no clear basis to treat it as a race of any other species.

Seychelles Kestrel Falco araeus
Seychelles Blue Pigeon Alectroenas pulcherrima
Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis barklyi
Seychelles Scops-owl Otus insularis
Seychelles Swiftlet Aerodramus elaphrus
Seychelles Bulbul Hypsipetes crassirostris
Seychelles Magpie-robin Copsychus sechellarum
Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis
Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone corvina
Seychelles Sunbird Nectarinia dussumieri
Seychelles White-eye Zosterops modesta
Seychelles Fody Foudia sechellarum
Aldabra Drongo Dicrurus aldabranus
Aldabra Fody  Foudia aldabrana

Seabirds
Wedge-tailed Shearwater  Puffinus pacificus                                                               
Tropical Shearwater  Puffinus bailloni                                                          
Red-tailed Tropicbird  Phaethon rubricauda                                                               
White-tailed Tropicbird  Phaethon lepturus                                                  
Masked Booby  Sula dactylatra                                                                     
Red-footed Booby  Sula sula                                                                          
Brown Booby  Sula leucogaster                                                                     
Great Frigatebird  Fregata minor                                                                    
Lesser Frigatebird  Fregata ariel                                                                     
Caspian Tern   Hydroprogne caspia                                                                              
Greater Crested Tern  Thalasseus bergii                                                                        
Roseate Tern  Sterna dougallii                                                                       
Black-naped Tern  Sterna sumatrana                                                            
Bridled Tern  Sterna anaethetus                                                                      
Sooty Tern  Sterna fuscata                                                                                               
Brown Noddy  Anous stolidus                                                                         
Lesser Noddy  Anous tenuirostris                                                                   
Fairy Tern  Gygis alba                                                                                       

                                                       
Waterbirds
Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea                                                                              
Cattle Egret  Bubulcus ibis                                                                               
Dimorphic Egret  Egretta dimorpha                                                                               
Madagascar Pond-heron  Ardeola idae                                                         
Green-backed Heron  Butorides striata                                         
Black-crowned Night Heron  Nycticorax nycticorax                                  
Yellow Bittern  Ixobrychus sinensis                                                                
Greater Flamingo  Phoenicopterus ruber                                                      
Madagascar Sacred Ibis Threskiornisbernieri abbotti
Aldabra Rail  Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus
Common Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus 

Native (non-endemic) land birds
Though not endemic to Seychelles 9 of the following 10 species have endemic races in Seychelles (as shown in the scientifice names). Madagascar Cisticola is endemic to the Malagasy region, also present on Madagascar and Iles Glorieuses. Pied Crow is a natural coloniser present throughout the western Malagasy region and sub-Saharan Africa.

Madagascar Kestrel  Falco newtoni aldabranus                  
Comoro Blue Pigeon  Alectroenas sganzini minor                                
Madagascar Turtle Dove Streptopelia picturata
Madagascar Coucal  Centropus toulou insularis                                       
Madagascar Nightjar Caprimulgus madagascariensis           
Madagascar Bulbul  Hypsipetes madagascariensis                    
Madagascar Cisticola  Cisticola cherina                                                      
Souimanga Sunbird Nectarinia souimanga aldabrensis (Aldabra), buchenorum (Cosmoledo), abbotti (Assumption)               
Madagascar White-eye  Zosterops maderaspatana                    
Pied Crow  Corvus albus                                                                                   
                                  
Introduced land birds
Grey Francolin  Francolinus pondicerianus                                                 
Feral Pigeon  Columba livia                                                                             
Barred Ground Dove  Geopelia striata                                                          
Ring-necked Parakeet  Psittacula krameri                                                    
Barn Owl  Tyto alba                                                                                           
Common Myna    Acridotheres tristis                                                           
Common Waxbill  Estrilda astrild                                                                 
House Sparrow  Passer domesticus
Madagascar Fody  Foudia madagascariensis