TAXONOMIC LIST

TAXONOMIC LIST OF BIRDS FOR PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
(For the alphabetical list of English names, please click here.)

This list below is based on the Field Checklist of Birds (8th Edition) 2014 (used with permission). Since then, more species have been documented on Prince Edward Island, and these are marked below with an asterisk *.

ORDER SUBJECT TO CHANGE: With DNA analysis and other scientific advances, taxonomic order of genera and species is constantly updated. Moreover, different ornithology authorities have different opinions on how species should be classified.

Click on any species below to access its full profile page. Some of the bird profiles will appear from a different website, but the information and photos are the same as for PEI. Species with no link are hypothetical (unconfirmed) sightings, marked with an ‘H’.

Song sparrow bring meal to its chicks - Summerside, PEI, by Marie Smith
 DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS (on a separate page)

PARTRIDGES AND GROUSE
Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix)
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)
Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus)
 
LOONS
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata)
Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica)
Common Loon (Gavia immer)

GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)

SHEARWATERS
Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)
Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis)
Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna griseus) 
Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) – H
Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) – H
Barolo Shearwater (Puffinus baroli) – H

STORM-PETRELS
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus)
Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa)
 
GANNETS AND BOOBIES
Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
Brown Booby (Sula Leucogaster) *

CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
 
PELICANS
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
 
BITTERNS, HERONS AND ALLIES
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)*
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

IBISES
American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

OSPREY
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

HAWKS, EAGLES AND ALLIES
Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Rough-legged Hawk  (Buteo lagopus)
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

RAILS, GALLINULES AND COOTS
Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis)
King Rail (Rallus elegans)
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)
Sora (Porzana carolina)
Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinicus)
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
American Coot (Fulica americana)

CRANES
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)
 
STILTS AND AVOCETS
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) 

OYSTERCATCHERS
Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani) *
American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)

LAPWINGS AND PLOVERS
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica)
Wilson’s Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) – H
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
 
SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES AND ALLIES (on a separate page)

SKUAS AND JAEGERS
Great Skua (Stercorarius skua)
Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus)
Parasitic Jaeger (Stercorarius parasiticus)
Long-tailed Jaeger (Stercorarius longicaudus)
 
AUKS, MURRES AND PUFFINS
Dovekie (Alle alle)
Common Murre (Uria aalge)
Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia)
Razorbill (Alca torda)
Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle)
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)

GULLS, TERNS AND SKIMMERS (on a separate page)

PIGEONS AND DOVES
Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)*
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

CUCKOOS
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)
Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus)
 
BARN OWLS
Barn Owl (Tyto alba

TYPICAL OWLS
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)
Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)
Barred Owl (Strix varia)
Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa)
Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)

GOATSUCKERS (Nightjars)
Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus

SWIFTS
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) 
 
HUMMINGBIRDS
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colibris)

KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
 
WOODPECKERS AND ALLIES
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis)
Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
 
FALCONS
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
Merlin (Falco columbarius)
Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)
Eastern Wood Peewee (Contopus virens)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris)
Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum)
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya)*
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus)
Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana)

SHRIKES
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis)

VIREOS
White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus)
Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus)
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)
 
JAYS AND CROWS
Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
Eurasian Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) – H
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Common Raven  (Corvus corax)
 
LARKS
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
 
SWALLOWS
Purple Martin (Progne subis)
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
Cave Swallow (Petrochelidon fulva)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

CHICKADEES
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)
 
NUTHATCHES
Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
White-breasted Nuthatch  (Sitta carolinensis)
 
CREEPERS
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

WRENS
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)
Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)
Carolina Wren (Thryotorus ludovicianus)
 
GNATCATCHERS
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

KINGLETS
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

OLD WORLD FLYCATCHERS
Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

THRUSHES
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)
Veery (Catharus fuscescens)
Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus)
Bicknell’s Thrush (Catharus bicknelli)
Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)
Hermit Thrush (Cattarus guttatus)
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)

MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
 
STARLINGS
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
 
PIPITS
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)

WAXWINGS
Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

LONGSPURS AND SNOW BUNTINGS
Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus)
Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)

WOOD WARBLERS (on a separate page)

NEW WORLD SPARROWS (on a separate page)

CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, TANAGERS, AND ALLIES
Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana)
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus)
Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)
Dickcissel (Spiza americana)

BLACKBIRDS AND ALLIES
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)
Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)
Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii)
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

FINCHES AND ALLIES
Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)
Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)
Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni)
European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)*
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)

OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)