The avifauna of Bermuda include 408 species, according to the Bermuda Audubon Society (BAS), with some additions from Clements taxonomy, as of July 2022.
The 387 species is a remarkable number considering that the island is a mere 53.3 square kilometres. (Additional species known only from the fossil record or speculatively from the time of early exploration are not included.) Ten species were introduced by humans; the mallard also occurs naturally as a non-breeding migrant. Of the 408, 104 are uncommon, 61 are rare, and 152 are very rare, all as defined below. Audubon's shearwater formerly bred in Bermuda but is now only a vagrant; All endemic species are considered extinct. Audubon's shearwater formerly bred in Bermuda but is now only a vagrant; Eskimo curlew is considered extinct.
This list is presented in the taxonomic sequence of the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds, 7th edition through the 63rd Supplement, published by the American Ornithological Society (AOS). Common and scientific names are also those of the Check-list, except that the common names of families are from the Clements taxonomy because the AOS list does not include them.
Unless otherwise noted, all species listed below are considered to occur regularly in Bermuda as permanent residents, summer or winter visitors, or migrants. These tags are used to annotate some species:
(U) Uncommon - a species "recorded in most years but in small numbers" per the BAS (R) Rare - a species "not recorded annually" per the BAS (VR) Very rare - a species with fewer than 15 records per the BAS (I) Introduced - a species present in Bermuda as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions (E) Endemic- a species endemic to Bermuda
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl
Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. 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.
Black-bellied whistling-duck, Dendrocygna autumnalis (VR) West Indian whistling-duck, Dendrocygna arborea (VR) Fulvous whistling-duck, Dendrocygna bicolor (VR) Snow goose, Anser caerulescens (U) Ross's goose, Anser rossii (VR) Greater white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons (VR) Brant, Branta bernicla (VR) Canada goose, Branta canadensis (U) Mute swan, Cygnus olor (VR) Tundra swan, Cygnus columbianus (VR) Wood duck, Aix sponsa (U) Garganey, Spatula querquedula (VR) Blue-winged teal, Spatula discors Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata (U) Gadwall, Mareca strepera (U) Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope (U) American wigeon, Mareca americana (U) Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos (I) American black duck, Anas rubripes (U) Northern pintail, Anas acuta (U) Green-winged teal, Anas crecca Canvasback, Aythya valisineria (VR) Redhead, Aythya americana (VR) Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris Ferruginous duck, Aythya nyroca (VR) (Not on the AOS Check-list) Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula (VR) Greater scaup, Aythya marila (R) Lesser scaup, Aythya affinis (U) Common eider, Somateria mollissima (VR) Surf scoter, Melanitta perspicillata (VR) White-winged scoter, Melanitta deglandi (VR) Black scoter, Melanitta americana (VR) Long-tailed duck, Clangula hyemalis (R) Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola (U) Common goldeneye, Bucephala clangula (R) Hooded merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus Common merganser, Mergus merganser (U) Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator (U) Ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis (U)
Flamingos
Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.
Flamingos do not occur in the wild in, and are not native to, Bermuda, and have neither colonised Bermuda nor been introduced to the wild there. The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo has exhibited a small number on public display since 1954. These birds have been used for a captive breeding programme (the first to hatch in the zoo was in 1967) for re-introduction to the wild in the British Virgin Islands in 1992. Although their open-air enclosure is too small for them to become airborne, one flamingo escaped captivity in 1987, being driven aloft by Hurricane Emily. The bird survived the storm and was recaptured. Another escaped in 2003 and was recaptured the following year.
American flamingo, Phoenicopterus ruber (VR)