A 'normal' White-tailed Tropicbird photographed by Jon Hornbuckle. Many on Christmas Island have an apricot or golden hue and are known as 'Golden Bosunbirds'.
- Every year between 50 and 120 million Red Crabs migrate, in great red swathes, from the forests to the coast of this speck in the Indian Ocean to breed
- And there is still room for several other species of crab, including giant Coconut Crabs, the largest land-living arthropods in the world
- The Red Crabs release their clouds of spawn into the sea where there are numerous multicoloured coral reef fish and, sometimes, Whale Sharks and Manta Rays
- While the skies above are sprinkled with boobies, frigatebirds and tropicbirds, including Abbott’s Boobies and Christmas Frigatebirds, which nest here and nowhere else on Earth, and beautiful ‘golden’ White-tailed Tropicbirds
- And on land there are at least four more endemic birds; an imperial-pigeon, a swiftlet, a boobook and a white-eye
- All on a classic tropical island
- Every year at the beginning of the wet season on Christmas Island millions of Red Crabs migrate from the tropical forests inland to the craggy coast to breed, a mass movement which can last for up to 18 days, usually during November-December. Waves of them clamber down the often steep slopes and cliffs, the largest males, with bodies up to about 10 cm across, leading the way. At the shore they dig burrows and mate with the females which soon outnumber them, in places as dense as 100 per square metre. The females then stay in the burrows for two weeks while their eggs, up to 100,000 of them, develop. At the turn of the high tide during the last quarter of the moon they leave their burrows to release their eggs into the ocean, in a mass spawning which may take place on six consecutive nights. The eggs hatch immediately on contact with the sea water and transform into swirling clouds of young larvae, which, in turn, provide a feast for Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. The larvae that survive soon change into baby crabs, leave the water, and head inland. The timing of the migration is dependent on when the wet season rains set in and therefore it is not possible to pinpoint the exact date when the mass movement of crabs to the coast will start. However, it usually takes place about four weeks before spawning and the possible spawning dates are usually given on the Christmas Island Website.
- The annual Christmas Island Bird 'n' Nature Week usually takes place in August-September with Tropical Seabird Research and Island Endemics as its theme. During the week participants will be invited to help catch Abbott’s Boobies, colour-band Brown Boobies, study the nesting biology and foraging ecology of Red-tailed Tropicbirds and Christmas Frigatebirds, and, possibly, colour-band Variable (Christmas) Goshawks, survey Christmas Boobooks and map territories of Island Thrushes. There will also be seminars on seabird research etc.
- Even though this tiny island, a 135 sq km dot in the Indian Ocean, is Australian Territory it is 2600 km northwest of Perth and just 360 km southwest of Java, the nearest landmass. It is accessible via weekly flights of two to two-and-a-half hours from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and on three-hour flights from Perth, Western Australia, a great place to see Whale Shark, Dugong and Stromatolites, living examples of the first life forms to have evolved on Earth, as well as endemic birds such as Western Bristlebird and Noisy Scrub-bird.
- Elsewhere in Australia there is Outback Australia where it is possible to see Red Kangaroo and birds such as Letter-winged Kite; Southeastern Australia where it is possible to see Koala, Platypus, Tasmanian Devil and birds such as Superb Lyrebird, Little Penguin, Plains-wanderer and Satin Bowerbird; Eastern Australia where the wildlife includes Koala, Platypus and birds such as Southern Cassowary, Albert's Lyrebird, Paradise and Victoria's Riflebirds, and Regent and Satin Bowerbirds; Northern Australia where it is possible to see Saltwater Crocodile, Black Wallaroo and birds such as Hooded Parrot, Gouldian Finch, Rainbow Pitta, Brolga Crane and Blue-winged Kookaburra; and Northwestern Australia where it is also possible to see Gouldian Finch, as well as Black Grasswren in the Kimberley and numerous shorebirds at Broome.
Best Birds and other wildlife on Christmas Island
Birds
Endemics
Christmas Imperial-pigeon, Christmas (Glossy) Swiftlet, Christmas Boobook and Christmas White-eye.
Breeding Endemics
Abbott’s Booby (about 3000 pairs, nesting mainly Jun-Mar, and ranging at sea around the island, north to Java) and Christmas Frigatebird (about 2000
pairs in three colonies at the northern end of the island, nesting mostly Jan-Aug).
Other Specialities
Red-tailed Tropicbird (nesting mostly Nov-Apr), White-tailed Tropicbird (including the endemic ‘golden’ fulvus form, nesting all year round),
Red-footed Booby (mostly, if not all, white phase, nesting mostly Apr-Sep), and Great (nesting mostly Jan-Aug) and Lesser (a few) Frigatebirds.
Others
Brown Booby, Pacific Reef-egret, White-faced Heron, Variable (Christmas natalis) Goshawk, Nankeen (Australian) Kestrel, White-breasted Waterhen,
Brown Noddy (nesting mostly Apr-Sep), Grey-capped Emerald Dove, Western (Asian) Koel and Island Thrush (erythropleurus). Java and Eurasian Tree
Sparrows have been introduced. Also a chance of rarities which have included Barau’s Petrel, Oriental Plover and Grey Wagtail.
Invertebrates
Blue Crab, Coconut (Robber) Crab (the largest terrestrial arthropod on Earth) and Red Crab.
Mammals
Christmas Island (Large) Flying Fox. Also a chance of Spinner Dolphin.
Fish
Christmas Island is surrounded by rich coral reefs and many spectacular underwater ‘drop-offs’ just a short distance offshore. The great diversity
of coral reef fish includes Whale Shark (after the Red Crab spawning season in December-January and again March-April), Manta Ray (mainly after the
Red Crab spawning season in December-January), the rare Dragon Moray Eel, Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, White-tip Reef Shark, Dogtooth Tuna, Harlequin
and Peacock Cods, Blue Tang, Moorish Idol and many butterflyfish.
Reptiles
Green Turtle
Best Sites for Birds, crabs and other wildlife on Christmas Island
Most of the seabirds are easy to see from The Settlement, where most of the visitor accommodation is situated. Nesting colonies of both boobies and frigatebirds are at LB4 Lookout and Lily Beach, and both species of tropicbirds nest at Flying Fish Cove, where there is also a superb reef accessible with a mask and snorkel straight from the jetty. Most landbirds are easily seen too although a 4WD may be required to cruise the tracks in the middle of the island for the goshawk. The best place for some rarities, such as Grey Wagtail, is the tip! Flying Foxes usually have a roost on the golf course. For more information visit the Parks Australia office.
Best Times for Birds, crabs and other wildlife on Christmas Island
Most of the endemic birds can be seen all year round on this wet and humid tropical island, although birding is most likely to be affected by the frequent rain, especially during the rainiest season which lasts November to May, and by the Red Crab migration, which usually takes place in November-December, resulting in the closure of some roads, which may prevent access to some birding sites. Daily temperatures vary little from month to month, ranging from a minimum of 22°C in August to a maximum of 28°C in April.
Recommended Bird Books etc. for Christmas Island
The Australian Bird Guide by P Menkhorst. PUP, 2017.
The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds by P, P and R Slater. Reed/New Holland, 2009 (Revised Edition).
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by G Pizzey and F Knight. Harper Collins, 2012 (Ninth Edition).
Birds of Australia by K Simpson and N Day. PUP, 2010 (Eighth Edition).
Field Guide to Australian Birds by Michael Morcombe: complete compact edition. Steve Parish Publishing, 2016.
Field Guide to Australian Birds by Michael Morcombe. Steve Parish Publishing, 2003.
Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago by J Eaton et al. Lynx Edicions, 2016.
Apps etc.
The Michael Morcombe and David Stewart eGuide to the Birds of Australia.
Pizzey and Knight Birds of Australia.
Birding and Wildlife Trip Reports for Christmas Island
Many trip reports, some for Christmas Island, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Christmas Island. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Christmas Island' below.
- The best website for trip reports is CloudBirders
- but these are also worth a look
- Birdtours
- Fatbirder
- Jon Hornbuckle
- Mammal Watching
Local bird and wildlife guides on Christmas Island
The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.
Accommodation for birders on Christmas Island
Some Organized Tours for birds and other wildlife to Christmas Island
There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.
While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.
Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Christmas Island include the following.
