Top 20 Most Common Bird in Mauritius

Mauritius is an island nation that boasts a rich array of biodiversity, thanks to its subtropical climate. Among the fauna, '20' common bird species attract keen interests from birdwatchers and ecologists. These birds are distinguished by their vivid colors, varied behaviors, and unique adaptations, evolved to survive in Mauritius's distinct habitats. This variety offers valuable insights into ornithology and the ecological dynamics of island ecosystems.

Most Common Bird

Red-whiskered Bulbul

1. Red-whiskered Bulbul

The red-whiskered Bulbul is an invasive species to North America and poses a threat to agriculture by damaging crops, outcompeting other species, and distributing non-native seeds. Otherwise, these birds can be found in lightly-wooded areas where it thrives on fruits and insects. Although it is an invasive species, native populations are believed to be on the decline.
Common Myna

2. Common Myna

The common Myna is a large, stocky starling that prefers to live near humans in towns and suburban areas. It forages among tall grasses for grasshoppers; in fact, its scientific name, Acridotheres tristis, means "grasshopper hunter." The common Myna likes to maintain two roosts at the same time - both a temporary summer roost near the breeding site as well as a year-round roost where the female can sit and brood.
Zebra Dove

3. Zebra Dove

The zebra Dove is a small dove found in dense forests, open fields, farmlands, and similar suburban areas. Unlike other dove species, this ground-dwelling bird likes to forage alone or in pairs, but not in large groups. The call of this slender dove is often described as very pleasant. Very common in urban areas, they are quite comfortable around humans.
Village Weaver

4. Village Weaver

The village weaver is a stocky 15–17 cm bird with a strong conical bill and dark reddish eyes. In the northern part of its range, the breeding male has a black head edged by chestnut (typically most distinct on the nape and chest). Towards the southern part of its range, the amount of black and chestnut diminish, and the breeding males of the southernmost subspecies only have a black face and throat, while the nape and crown are yellow. In all subspecies the breeding male has a black bill, black and yellow upperparts and wings, and yellow underparts. The non-breeding male has a yellow head with an olive crown, grey upperparts and whitish underparts. The wings remain yellow and black. The adult female has streaked olive upperparts, yellow and black wings, and pale yellow underparts. Young birds are like the female but browner on the back.
Red Fody

5. Red Fody

The red fody is about 5 inches (13 cm) in length and weighs 14–19 grams (0.49–0.67 oz). The male of the species is bright red with black markings around each eye. Its wings and tail are olive-brown. Its underparts are also red, which distinguishes it from other fodies in areas where it has been introduced. The female fody's upper parts are olive-brown and its underparts are greyish brown.
House Sparrow

6. House Sparrow

Just as its name implies, the little house Sparrow socializes with humans more than any other bird species. Able to adapt and thrive in almost any habitat, excluding the extremes such as deserts and mountain peaks, this species was once restricted only to North Africa and Eurasia but now is found across the globe. Unfortunately, this opportunistic eater is not completely harmless—it can cause considerable damage to crops.
Malagasy Turtle Dove

7. Malagasy Turtle Dove

The Malagasy turtle dove (Nesoenas picturatus) is a bird species in the pigeon and dove family, Columbidae. It is found in British Indian Ocean Territory, the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Réunion, and the Seychelles.
Spotted Dove

8. Spotted Dove

The spotted Dove is a medium-sized bird that is swift in flight. It prefers to live year-round in warm climates in suburban areas, especially in parks. Their nests are mostly made out of sticks and they like to dine on insects and seeds.
Striated Heron

9. Striated Heron

Adults have a blue-grey back and wings, white underparts, a black cap, a dark line extends from the bill to under the eye and short yellow legs. Juveniles are browner above and streaked below. These birds stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey, but are easier to see than many small heron species. They mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic insects.
Rose-ringed Parakeet

10. Rose-ringed Parakeet

The rose-ringed Parakeet is a very common sight in tropical climates and a variety of environments throughout the world. These colorful birds are popular as pets but can become a threatening invasive species to non-native ecosystems. They eat fruits, nuts, seeds, and grains, and can become serious pests to farmers. These birds are very vocal and very loud and come in several subspecies.
Whimbrel

11. Whimbrel

The whimbrel is a shorebird that is often found in coastal areas. It is often present in flocks, mixing with other shorebirds. It is distinguishable by its short, high-pitch whistles that males often emit to warn others of potential predators. A primary food source for the shorebird in the winter is the fiddler crab. Its curved bill allows the bird to easily dig into the crab’s burrow.
Common Moorhen

12. Common Moorhen

The common Moorhen is often found in slow-moving or standing-water aquatic ecosystems with dense vegetation coverage where they can hide and forage for food. If vegetation is dense enough, their large feet even enable them to walk across the floating plants. These birds are opportunistic feeders and will eat any food that is currently available.
Rock Pigeon

13. Rock Pigeon

The rock Pigeon is a wild ancestor of all domestic and feral pigeons, inhabiting coasts, cliffs, and caves. Pairs nest in rock crevices, often mating for life. They are known for their ability to fly very long distances to return to their homes, navigating using the sun's position and the earth's magnetic fields. Thanks to this ability, pigeons were used as messengers, particularly during World Wars I and II.
Common Waxbill

14. Common Waxbill

The common Waxbill is a small and brightly colored bird, native to Africa. It is a highly social bird, often seen in flocks foraging for seeds and insects. With its distinctive red bills and cheerful chirps, the Common Waxbill brings a touch of brightness to its habitat. This charming bird is well-adapted to its environment, making it an important part of the ecosystem. Whether foraging for food or engaging in lively courtship displays, the bird is a delight to observe.
Yellow-fronted Canary

15. Yellow-fronted Canary

The yellow-fronted canary (Crithagra mozambica), also called the yellow-eyed canary, is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is known elsewhere and in aviculture as the green singing finch. The yellow-fronted canary was formerly placed in the genus Serinus, but phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that genus to be polyphyletic. The genus was therefore split and a number of species including the yellow-fronted canary were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra Swainson 1827. This bird is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Its habitat is open woodland and cultivation. It nests in trees, laying three or four eggs in a compact cup nest. It has been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is found on western Hawaii, southeastern Oahu and Molokai. The yellow-fronted canary is a common, gregarious seedeater. It is 11–13 cm in length. The adult male has a green back and brown wings and tail. The underparts and rump are yellow, and the head is yellow with a grey crown and nape and a black malar stripe. The female is similar, but with a weaker head pattern and duller underparts. Juveniles are greyer than the female, especially on the head. Its song is a warbled zee-zeree-chereeo.
Curlew Sandpiper

16. Curlew Sandpiper

These birds are small waders, similar to dunlins, but differ in having a longer down-curved beak, longer neck and legs and a white rump. They have a length of 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in), weight of 44-117 g and wingspan of 38–41 cm (15–16 in). The breeding adult has patterned dark grey upperparts and brick-red underparts. In winter, this bird is pale grey above and white below, and shows an obvious white supercilium. Juveniles have a grey and brown back, a white belly and a peach-coloured breast.
Greater Sand Plover

17. Greater Sand Plover

This chunky plover is long-legged and thick-billed. Breeding males have grey backs and white underparts. The breast, forehead and nape are chestnut, and there is a black eye mask. The female is duller, and winter and juvenile birds lack the chestnut, apart from a hint of rufous on the head. Legs are greenish and the bill black. In all plumages, it is very similar to lesser sand plover, Charadrius mongolus. Separating the species may be straightforward in mixed wintering flocks on an Indian beach, where the difference in size and structure is obvious; it is another thing altogether to identify a lone vagrant to western Europe, where both species are very rare. The problem is compounded in that the Middle Eastern race of the greater sand plover is the most similar to the lesser species.
Pink Pigeon

18. Pink Pigeon

Ruddy Turnstone

19. Ruddy Turnstone

A small shorebird, the ruddy Turnstone has a unique foraging method. The bird uses its short beak to flip over shells, rocks, and other debris as it searches for invertebrates. It is a common bird on coastlines throughout the world but prefers rocky shorelines. It’s not uncommon for it to mix with other types of shorebirds, but its rattling cry makes it easily identifiable.
Helmeted Guineafowl

20. Helmeted Guineafowl

Helmeted Guineafowls are large birds with featherless blue heads. They are native to open habitats in Africa, but in the U.S. they're kept in parks, farms, and backyards to combat and control ticks that are known to spread Lyme disease. In an effort to intimidate, the males will bristle their feathers, raise their wings, and run at their opponents while squawking and gaping at the beak. They are neither subtle in their behavior nor subtle in their looks.
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