Galapagos is a bird watcher’s paradise. Endemic, native and introduced birds are everywhere throughout the archipelago.
Of the local birds the most legendary species are Darwin’s finches. Other extraordinary endemic inhabitants include the Galapagos penguin, flightless cormorant, and the gray lava gull. Native populations of blue footed boobies, Nazca (masked) boobies, waved albatrosses, magnificent frigatebirds and brown pelicans are also fairly common sightings, depending on the island. The red-footed booby is only found in the northern range of the archipelago.
As has happened throughout the world, humans have brought as food sources to their settlements in Galapagos domestic chickens and turkeys.
Approximate numbers of various groups of bird species:
| Category | Number of Species |
| Endemic Species | 29 |
| Introduced | 10 |
| Migrants | 27 |
| Native | 12 |
| Occasional | 60 |
| Endemic Subspecies | 15 |
| Potential but Unconfirmed | 20 |
Former CDF scientist David Weidenfeld has recently published a Galapagos bird checklist. This is available online:
http://www.rc.unesp.br/ib/checklist/articles/sl003-06ms.pdf.
Native & endemic birds
Introduced birds
Native & endemic species
Introduced species
At risk species