Terrestrial Wildlife of Seychelles

The Malagasy Coucal or Madagascar Coucal (Centropus toulou) is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. It is found in Madagascar, the Comoros (including Mayotte) and the Seychelles where it occurs on Aldabra and formerly on Assumption Island and Cosmoledo. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. less ↑

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae). T. alba is found almost anywhere in the world except polar and desert regions, Asia north... less ↑

The White-throated Rail (Dryolimnas cuvieri) or Cuvier's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles. A flightless subspecies, Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus (Aldabra Rail), inhabits Aldabra, while another, D. c. abbotti (Assumption Rail), from Assumption went extinct in the early 20th century due to introduced predators. less ↑

The Grey Francolin (formerly also called the Grey Partridge, but not to be confused with the European Grey Partridge) Francolinus pondicerianus is a species of francolin found in the plains and drier parts of South Asia. They are found in open cultivated lands as well as scrub forest and their local name of teetar is based on their calls, a loud and repeated Ka-tee-tar...tee-tar which is produced by one or more birds. The term teetar can... less ↑

The Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. Its closest relative is the Greater Yellowlegs, which together with the Spotted Redshank form a close-knit group. Among them, these three species show all the basic leg and foot colours found in the shanks, demonstrating that this character is paraphyletic (Pereira & Baker, 2005). They are also the largest shanks apart from the Willet, which is altogether more robustly built.... less ↑

The Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae. It is a highly migratory bird, breeding in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and flying south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide. It is the only species of turnstone in much of its range and... less ↑

The Grey-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus) is a small gull which breeds patchily in South America and Africa south of the Sahara. It is not truly migratory, but is more widespread in winter. This species has occurred as a rare vagrant to North America and Spain. It is also known as the Grey-hooded Gull. As is the case with many gulls, it has traditionally been placed in the genus Larus. less ↑

The Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) (formerly Sterna fuscata), is a seabird of the tern family (Sternidae). It is a bird of the tropical oceans, breeding on islands throughout the equatorial zone. Colloquially, it is known as the Wideawake Tern or just wideawake. This refers to the incessant calls produced by a colony of these birds, as does the Hawaiian name ʻewa ʻewa which roughly means "cacophony". In most of Polynesia its name is manutara or similar... less ↑

The Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis, syn. Sterna bengalensis - see Bridge et al., 2005) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It breeds in subtropical coastal parts of the world mainly from the Red Sea across the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific, and Australia, with a significant population on the southern coast of the Mediterranean on two islands off the Libyan coast. Accidental breeding has also been reported in Italy and France. The... less ↑

The Greater Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii), also called Crested Tern or Swift Tern, is a seabird in the tern family which nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World. Its five subspecies breed in the area from South Africa around the Indian Ocean to the central Pacific and Australia, all populations dispersing widely from the breeding range after nesting. This large tern is closely related to the Royal and... less ↑

The Crab-plover or Crab Plover (Dromas ardeola) is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Dromadidae. Its relationship within the Charadriiformes is unclear, some have considered it to be closely related to the thick-knees, or the pratincoles, while others have considered it closer to the auks and gulls. It is the only member of the genus Dromas and is unique among waders in making use of ground warmth to... less ↑

The Flesh-footed Shearwater (Puffinus carneipes) is a medium-sized shearwater. Its plumage is black. It has pale pinkish feet, and a pale bill with a distinct black tip. Together with the equally light-billed Pink-footed Shearwater, it forms the Hemipuffinus group, a superspecies which may or may not have an Atlantic relative in the Great Shearwater (Austin, 1996; Austin et al., 2004). These are large shearwaters which are among those that could be separated in the genus Ardenna... less ↑

The Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus pacificus) is a medium-large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It is one of the shearwater species that is sometimes referred to as a Muttonbird, like the Sooty Shearwater of New Zealand and the Short-tailed Shearwater of Australia. It ranges across from throughout the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean roughly between latitudes 35°N and 35°S. It breeds in islands such as off Japan, the Islas Revillagigedo, the Hawaiian Islands, the Seychelles and... less ↑

Wilson's Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus), also known as Wilson's Petrel, is a small seabird of the storm petrel family. It is one of the most abundant bird species in the world and has a circumpolar distribution mainly in the seas of the southern hemisphere but extending northwards during the summer of the northern hemisphere. The world population has been estimated to be more than 50 million pairs. The name commemorates the Scottish-American ornithologist Alexander Wilson. less ↑

The Malagasy Pond Heron (Ardeola idae), also known as the Madagascar Pond Heron, is a species of heron in the Ardeidae family. It is found in Angola, Bahamas, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mayotte, Mozambique, Rwanda, Réunion, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, rivers, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, estuarine waters, and arable land. less ↑

The Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) is a small bittern. It is of Old World origins, breeding in much of the Indian Subcontinent, east to Japan and Indonesia. It is mainly resident, but some northern birds migrate short distances. It has been recorded as a vagrant in Alaska and there is a single record from Britain, from Radipole Lake, Dorset on November 23, 1962 - however, the BOU have always considered this occurrence to be of uncertain... less ↑

The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to... less ↑

The Striated Heron (Butorides striata) also known as Mangrove Heron, Little Heron or Green-backed Heron, is a small heron. Striated Herons are mostly non-migratory and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in the Old World tropics from west Africa to Japan and Australia, and in South America. Vagrants have been recorded on oceanic islands, such as Chuuk and Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marianas and Palau; the... less ↑

The White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus, is a tropicbird, smallest of three closely related seabirds of the tropical oceans and smallest member of the order Phaethontiformes. It occurs in the tropical Atlantic, western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It also breeds on some Caribbean islands, and a few pairs have started nesting recently on Little Tobago, joining the Red-billed Tropicbird colony. In addition to the tropical Atlantic, it nests as far north as Bermuda, where it is locally... less ↑

The Malagasy Kestrel (Falco newtoni), also known as the Madagascar Kestrel, Malagasy Spotted Kestrel, Newton's Kestrel, Madagascar Spotted Kestrel, katiti (Creole) or hitsikitsika (Malagasy), is a small bird of prey of the genus Falco. It is named after British ornithologist Edward Newton. It occurs in two subspecies on Madagascar and at Aldabra. The race from Aldabra is also called Aldabra Kestrel (Falco newtoni aldabranus). Its closest living relative is the Seychelles Kestrel; they were at one... less ↑

The Garganey (Anas querquedula) is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and western Asia, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India (in particular Santragachi), and Australasia in winter, where large flocks can occur. This species was first described by Linnaeus in 1758 under its current scientific name. Like other small ducks such as the Common Teal, this species rises easily from the water with a fast... less ↑

The Black Kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations. Current global population estimates run up to 6 million individuals. Unlike others of the group, Black Kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring... less ↑

The Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra) is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. This species breeds on islands in tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic; in the eastern Pacific it is replaced by the Nazca Booby, Sula granti, which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of Masked Booby. It is also called the Masked Gannet or the Blue-faced Booby. less ↑

The Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) is a passerine bird found in Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It feeds on fruits and small insects and they conspicuously perch on trees and their calls are a loud three or four note call. The distinctive crest and the red-vent... less ↑

The Seychelles Bulbul (Hypsipetes crassirostris) is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. The species is related to the Grand Comoro Bulbul and the Moheli Bulbul. It is a common endemic species of the Seychelles, breeding on Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette as well as some smaller islands. The Seychelles Bulbul is social, living in pairs, family groups or small flocks in forest and woodland from the sea to the mountains on granitic... less ↑

The Seychelles Warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis), also known as Seychelles Brush Warbler, is a small songbird found on five granitic and corraline islands in the Seychelles. It is a greenish-brown bird with long legs and a long slender bill. It is primarily found in forested areas on the islands. The Seychelles Warbler is a rarity in that it exhibits cooperative breeding, or alloparenting; which means that the monogamous pair is assisted by nonbreeding female helpers. less ↑

The Scaly-breasted Munia or Spotted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), known in the pet trade as Nutmeg Mannikin or Spice Finch, is a sparrow-sized estrildid finch native to tropical Asia. A species of the genus Lonchura, it was formally described and named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Its name is based on the distinct scale-like feather markings on the breast and belly. The adult is brown above and has a dark conical bill. The species has 11 subspecies... less ↑

The Red-headed Fody (Foudia eminentissima) is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family. It is found in Comoros, Mayotte and Seychelles. The taxon aldabrana, by most authorities considered a subspecies of the Red-headed Fody, has occasionally been considered a separate species, the Aldabra Fody (Foudia aldabrana), in which case the common name of the remaining species often is modified to Comoros Fody. Previously, the Forest Fody from Madagascar was considered a subspecies of the Red-headed... less ↑

The Seychelles Fody (Foudia sechellarum) is a small yellowish songbird that lives in the Seychelles islands of Aride Island, Cousin Island, Cousine Island, Fregate Island, D'Arros Island and as of 2004 Denis Island. The IUCN has recently changed the status of the bird from "endangered" to "near threatened" due to successful conservation efforts by Nature Seychelles. Presently it is estimated that there are approximately 3500 Seychelles Fodies. less ↑

The Madagascar Cisticola (Cisticola cherina) is a species of bird in the cisticola family (Cisticolidae). It forms a superspecies with the closely related Zitting Cisticola and the Socotra Cisticola. It is found across the whole of Madagascar and the islands of Astove and Cosmoledo in the Seychelles. The Seychelles birds are suspected to be recent arrivals, although there are some early records of the species there. Within its range it occupies a range of open habitats,... less ↑