Birds of the Kingdom of Tonga

In the Kingdom of Tonga, the remote islands and seemingly untouched landscape makes these islands a natural haven for a vast number of unique bird species. The varying geographic landscapes and variety of locations of the islands make each one unique in the types of birds you may find on it. For example, some of the northern most islands are home to nesting sights to many of the sea birds. Though Tonga has a vast number of birds, most of the species have been introduced throughout its history. Its location and isolation, makes it a haven for birds but also has kept it isolated. Tonga can only claim ownership to two endemic bird species. The two endemic species include the Tongan Whistler and the Niaufuoo Scrubfowl, or more commonly known as the Megapode, which will be further explained later in the blog post.

Tonga is home to some very rare and unique birds. For example, some islands are home to the Megapode. Megapodes are black, chicken-like birds that actually incubate their eggs in the ground of the islands to take advantage of the heat from the volcanic activity underneath the ground. Some other rare and interesting birds include the Red-Breasted Koki or more commonly referred to as the Musk Parrot. This bird has been around in Tonga since prehistoric times, and has been vigorously bunted for its beautiful red feathers, which had a high value in the trade market.

This list goes on though; some other species include the Tongan Whistler, the Polynesian Triller, and the Pacific Pigeon. As stated before, and as one can see, the Kingdom of Tonga is home to an abundance of beautifully unique birds, and would be a great destination for any bird watching enthusiast. Below is a list of all the birds that can be found in the region. 

Bird List:

Species Number	Species	Status
95	Wandering Albatross	VS
97	Southern Giant Petrel	VS
98	Cape Petrel	MS
100	Tahiti Petrel	S
101	Phoenix Petrel	VS
102	White-naped Petrel	MS
103	Herald Petrel	BS
104	Kermadec Petrel	BS
105	Mottled Petrel	MS
107	Black-winged Petrel	BS
108	Collared Petrel	VS
175	Gould's Petrel	?
176	Steijneger's Petrel	?
109	Audubon's Shearwater	BS
111	Wedge-tailed Shearwater	BS
112	Short-tailed Shearwater	MS
114	Buller's Shearwater	VS
115	Sooty Shearwater	MS
116	Wilson’s Storm-petrel	?
117	Polynesian Storm-petrel	BS?
120	Red-tailed Tropicbird	BS
121	White-tailed Tropicbird	BS
123	Masked Booby	BS
124	Brown Booby	BS
125	Red-footed Booby	BS
126	Great Frigatebird	BS
127	Lesser Frigatebird	BS
1	Eastern Reef Heron	BL
2	White-faced Heron	BL
4	Mangrove Heron	VL
6	Pacific Black Duck	BL
8	Northern Pintail	VL
10	Tongan Megapode	BL
11	Junglefowl	I
15	Pacific Harrier	BL
18	Banded Rail	BL
20	Spotless Crake	BL
21	Purple Swamphen	BL
148	Pacific Golden Plover	MW;OW
156	Bristle-thighed Curlew	MW
159	Bar-tailed Godwit	MW
161	Wandering Tattler	MW;OW
164	Sharp-tailed Sandpiper	?
169	Ruddy Turnstone	MW;OW
170	Sanderling	MW
128	Pomarine Skua	VS
129	Arctic Skua	VS
131	South Polar Skua	VS
132	Crested Tern	BS
133	Black-naped Tern	BS
134	Sooty Tern	BS
135	Grey-backed Tern	BS
136	Bridled Tern	BS
191	Roseate Tern	?
140	Blue Noddy	BS?
141	Grey Noddy	BS
142	Brown Noddy	BS
143	Black Noddy	BS
144	White Tern	BS
23	Feral Pigeon	I
26	Friendly Ground-dove	BL
27	Pacific Pigeon	BL
30	Many-coloured Fruit-dove	BL
31	Crimson-crowned Fruit-dove	BL
37	Blue-crowned Lory	BL
39	Red Shining Parrot	I
42	Long-tailed Cuckoo	ML
43	Barn Owl	BL
46	White-rumped Swiftlet	BL
48	White-collared Kingfisher	BL
50	Pacific Swallow	BL
53	Polynesian Starling	BL
55	European Starling	I
57	Jungle Mynah	I
58	Red-vented Bulbul	I
69	Lesser Shrikebill	BL
75	Tongan Whistler	BL
77	Polynesian Triller	BL
91	Wattled Honeyeater	BL

(http://www.pacificbirds.com/tonga.html)