Bird Taxa

This is a little something for the nerds out there. In the tree of life all birds belong to the taxonomic Class known as Aves – the birds. Within the Class of Aves, birds are divided into 42 Orders (we’ve hit 35 so far, but don’t worry, we’ll get to all of them one day). Below I have grouped every bird we’ve featured into their Orders. So… have fun with that, I guess?

Opisthocomiformes

One of the most unique Orders, not only among birds, but all of life. It has only one member, the Hoatzin.

• Bird 01 – Hoatzin
• Bird 114 – Hoatzin (remastered)

Sphenisciformes

Penguins.

• Bird 02 – Chinstrap Penguin
• Bird 49 – Galapagos Penguin
• Bird 90 – Emperor Penguin
• Bird 113 – Yellow-eyed Penguin
• Bird 165 – Macaroni Penguin
• Bird 228 – Northern Rockhopper Penguin
• Bird 244 – Little Penguin
• Bird 356 – King Penguin

Suliformes

These are water-going birds that belong to four families, including the Boobys, Gannets, Cormorants, Frigatebirds and Darters.

• Bird 03 – Greater Frigatebird
• Bird 50 – Flightless Cormorant
• Bird 59 – Northern Gannet
• Bird 69 – Abbott’s Booby
• Bird 97 – Blue-footed Booby
• Bird 212 – Masked Booby
• Bird 227 – Christmas Frigatebird
• Bird 247 – Japanese Cormorant
• Bird 295 – Red-legged Cormorant
• Bird 349 – Magnificent Frigatebird

Passeriformes

This is the most common Order of birds. Approximately half of all living bird species belong to this Order, which is broken up into many families. They are commonly known as ‘perching birds’, a reference to the way their toes are arranged: three pointing forward, one pointing back.

• Bird 04 – Wilson’s Bird-of-Paradise
• Bird 08 – Superb Lyrebird
• Bird 11 – Australian Magpie
• Bird 12 – Great Grey Shrike
• Bird 21 – Welcome Swallow
• Bird 23 – Andean Cock-of-the-rock
• Bird 26 – Ortolan Bunting
• Bird 33 – New Caledonian Crow
• Bird 37 – Tibetan Blackbird
• Bird 42 – Blue Jay
• Bird 43 – Blue Tit
• Bird 44 – Spangled Drongo
• Bird 46 – ‘I’iwi
• Bird 53 – Cinerous Mourner
• Bird 66 – Huia
• Bird 68 – Lyall’s Wren
• Bird 75 – Indian Paradise Flycatcher
• Bird 76 – Superb Fairywren
• Bird 80 – Common Green Magpie
• Bird 82 – Nightingale
• Bird 91 – Many-colored Rush Tyrant
• Bird 93 – Amazonian Royal Flycatcher
• Bird 96 – King of Saxony Bird-of-Paradise
• Bird 101 – Stresemann’s Bristlefront
• Bird 103 – Rusty Flowerpiercer
• Bird 105 – Brown-headed Cowbird
• Bird 107 – Yellow-billed Oxpecker
• Bird 108 – Vampire Ground Finch
• Bird 112 – Cattle Tyrant
• Bird 118 – Mallee Emu-wren
• Bird 125 – Musician Wren
• Bird 129 – White-winged Chough
• Bird 132 – Wren-like Rushbird
• Bird 134 – Fork-tailed Drongo
• Bird 135 – Capuchinbird
• Bird 145 – Grandala
• Bird 146 – Green Broadbill
• Bird 147 – Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise
• Bird 150 – Violet-backed Starling
• Bird 151 – White Bellbird
• Bird 152 – Australian Raven
• Bird 157 – Rothschild’s Lobe-billed Bird-of-Paradise
• Bird 158 – Gouldian Finch
• Bird 159 – Sociable Weaver
• Bird 161 – Hooded Pitohui
• Bird 164 – Thick-billed Longspur
• Bird 167 – White-browed Tit-warbler
• Bird 170 – Eurasian Golden Oriole
• Bird 175 – Fieldfare
• Bird 176 – Short-tailed Pygmy Tyrant
• Bird 181 – Northern Cardinal
• Bird 187 – House Sparrow
• Bird 190 – Zebra Finch
• Bird 193 – Florida Grasshopper Sparrow
• Bird 197 – Atlantic Canary
• Bird 201 – Black-browed Babbler
• Bird 209 – Superb Bird-of-Paradise
• Bird 210 – Taiwan Blue Magpie
• Bird 215 – Carrion Crow
• Bird 221 – Spotted Pardalote
• Bird 232 – European Robin
• Bird 233 – American Robin
• Bird 234 – Flame Robin
• Bird 237 – Great Tit
• Bird 239 – King Bird-of-Paradise
• Bird 245 – American Dipper
• Bird 256 – Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
• Bird 258 – Eastern Whipbird
• Bird 262 – Thick-billed Raven
• Bird 271 – Purple Martin
• Bird 272 – White-crested Laughingthrush
• Bird 282 – Satin Bowerbird
• Bird 284 – New Zealand Rock Wren
• Bird 285 – Barbados Bullfinch
• Bird 289 – Noisy Miner & Common Myna
• Bird 291 – Pied Currawong
• Bird 302 – Willie Wagtail
• Bird 307 – Wilson’s Warbler
• Bird 317 – Plumbeous Water Redstart
• Bird 318 – Eastern Bluebird
• Bird 322 – Wallcreeper
• Bird 329 – Bank Myna
• Bird 337 – Tui
• Bird 341 – Masked Tityra
• Bird 345 – Ribbon-Tailed Astrapia
• Bird 353 – Sultan Tit

Galliformes

Commonly known as ‘game birds’. These include most of the birds we eat, Chickens, Turkeys, Quails, Pheasants etc.

• Bird 05 – California Quail
• Bird 07 – Peafowl
• Bird 30 – Chicken
• Bird 31 – Vulturine Guineafowl
• Bird 52 – Wild Turkey
• Bird 54 – White-tailed Ptarmigan
• Bird 57 – Red-legged Partridge
• Bird 65 – Blood Pheasant
• Bird 136 – Greater Sage-grouse
• Bird 189 – Palawan Peacock-pheasant
• Bird 206 – Golden Pheasant
• Bird 207 – Silver and Copper Pheasant
• Bird 222 – Ocellated Turkey
• Bird 293 – Red Junglefowl
• Bird 299 – Horned Curassow
• Bird 300 – California Quail (II)
• Bird 339 – Great Curassow

Columbiformes

The greatest Order of all – Pigeons and Doves.

• Bird 06 – Rock Dove
• Bird 24 – Fancy Pigeons
• Bird 32 – Luzon Bleeding-heart
• Bird 34 – Passenger Pigeon
• Bird 40 – Dodo
• Bird 41 – Nicobar Pigeon
• Bird 48 – Crested Pigeon
• Bird 51 – Spinifex Pigeon
• Bird 61 – Kereru
• Bird 72 – Victoria Crowned Pigeon
• Bird 81 – Pink-necked Green Pigeon
• Bird 99 – Jacobin Pigeon
• Bird 111 – Cher Ami
• Bird 120 – Mauritius Blue Pigeon
• Bird 121 – Mauritius Pink Pigeon
• Bird 137 – Blue-eyed Ground Dove
• Bird 148 – Orange Fruit Dove
• Bird 156 – Negros Fruit Dove
• Bird 162 – Golden Fruit Dove
• Bird 166 – Christmas Imperial Pigeon
• Bird 183 – Project Pigeon
• Bird 204 – Carunculated Fruit Dove
• Bird 220 – Pheasant Pigeon
• Bird 225 – Common Bronzewing
• Bird 278 – Black-naped Pheasant Pigeon
• Bird 279 – European Turtle Dove
• Bird 325 – Topknot Pigeon
• Bird 330 – Socorro Pigeon
• Bird 352 – Eurasian Collared Dove

Apodiformes

These are cute and colourful little birds, featuring only two families, the Hummingbirds and the Swifts.

• Bird 09 – Bee Hummingbird
• Bird 27 – Edible-nest Swiftlet
• Bird 63 – Tufted Coquette
• Bird 84 – Jamaican Mango
• Bird 102 – Sword-billed Hummingbird
• Bird 115 – White-booted Racket-tail
• Bird 138 – Blue-throated Hillstar
• Bird 154 – Golden-tailed Sapphire
• Bird 184 – Horned Sungem
• Bird 217 – Lucifer Sheartail
• Bird 286 – Alpine Swift
• Bird 321 – Volcano Swiftlet
• Bird 324 – Black-crested Coquette

Charadriiformes

A diverse Order of Seabirds; Gulls and Terns are the most prominent family, but they also include things like Plovers, Waders, Puffins and the likes.

• Bird 10 – Atlantic Puffin
• Bird 36 – Kelp Gull
• Bird 85 – Bonaparte’s Gull
• Bird 86 – Swallow-tailed Gull
• Bird 89 – Pigeon Guillemot
• Bird 110 – Temminck’s Courser
• Bird 122 – White Tern
• Bird 155 – Red Phalarope
• Bird 169 – Long-billed Curlew
• Bird 177 – Whiskered Auklet
• Bird 188 – Arctic Tern
• Bird 199 – Rhinoceros Auklet
• Bird 213 – Inca Tern
• Bird 229 – Bar-tailed Godwit
• Bird 235 – Black Skimmer
• Bird 246 – Ancient Murrelet
• Bird 266 – Sooty Oystercatcher
• Bird 268 – Far Eastern Curlew
• Bird 269 – Hooded Dotterel
• Bird 301 – Common Murre
• Bird 305 – Tufted Puffin
• Bird 306 – Great Skua
• Bird 314 – Ross’s Gull
• Bird 316 – Little Auk
• Bird 323 – Sabine’s Gull
• Bird 331 – Australian Pratincole
• Bird 332 – Northern Jacana
• Bird 340 – Sanderling
• Bird 342 – Razorbill

Trogoniformes

This is an odd Order made of colourful tropical birds known as Trogons and Quetzals.

• Bird 13 – Resplendent Quetzal
• Bird 343 – Red-Headed Trogon

Psittaciformes

The Parrots; hooked bills, eat seeds, usually very loud and intelligent.

• Bird 15 – Eclectus Parrot
• Bird 18 – Kakapo
• Bird 19 – Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
• Bird 20 – Kea
• Bird 35 – Night Parrot
• Bird 64 – Budgerigar
• Bird 73 – Sun Conure
• Bird 119 – Gang-gang Cockatoo
• Bird 131 – Spix’s Macaw
• Bird 142 – Crimson Rosella
• Bird 160 – Palm Cockatoo
• Bird 168 – Galah
• Bird 172 – Kakapo (II)
• Bird 194 – Painted Tiger Parrot
• Bird 205 – Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot
• Bird 219 – Dracula Parrot
• Bird 240 – Ultramarine Lorikeet
• Bird 250 – Sun Conure (II)
• Bird 260 – Rainbow Lorikeet
• Bird 273 – Gang-gang Cockatoo (II)
• Bird 275 – Australian King Parrot
• Bird 281 – Eastern Rosella
• Bird 283 – New Zealand Kaka
• Bird 315 – Cockatiel
• Bird 328 – Red-Fan Parrot
• Bird 334 – Scaly-Breasted Lorikeet
• Bird 338 – Little Corella
• Bird 346 – Hyacinth Macaw

Musophagiformes

A small family of birds. The name of their Order translates to banana-eaters. Usually colourful and crested, they live in South America and Africa.

• Bird 16 – Bare-faced Go-away-bird
• Bird 153 – Ruspoli’s Turaco

Eurypygiformes

This is a tiny Order comprising of just two birds, the Cagou of New Caledonia and the Sunbitten from South America.

• Bird 17 – Cagou

Caprimulgiformes

One of the most interesting Orders, this group contains the Frogmouths and the Nightjars. They’re a family of birds that have developed a range of odd evolutionary attributes, including camouflage, echolocation and hibernation.

• Bird 22 – Oilbird
• Bird 98 – Common Poorwill
• Bird 116 – Common Potoo
• Bird 218 – Satanic Nightjar
• Bird 236 – Standard-winged Nightjar
• Bird 251 – Tawny Frogmouth

Anseriformes

One everyone is familiar with: ducks, geese and swans.

• Bird 28 – Anatidaephobia
• Bird 45 – Hooded Merganser
• Bird 62 – Long-tailed Duck
• Bird 74 – Mandarin Duck
• Bird 88 – Common Eider
• Bird 94 – Lake Duck
• Bird 106 – Cuckoo Duck
• Bird 109 – Ducklings!
• Bird 141 – Madagascan Pochard
• Bird 144 – Horned Screamer
• Bird 186 – Musk Duck
• Bird 230 – Torrent Duck
• Bird 261 – Mute Swan
• Bird 270 – Dutch Hookbill
• Bird 280 – Crested Screamer
• Bird 287 – Surf Scoter
• Bird 290 – Greylag Goose
• Bird 292 – Knob-billed Duck
• Bird 326 – Harlequin Duck
• Bird 336 – Snow Goose
• Bird 350 – Pink-Eared Duck

Accipitriformes

Birds of prey, the raptors: eagles, hawks and old world vultures.

• Bird 29 – Griffon Vulture
• Bird 58 – Black Kite
• Bird 67 – Wedge-tail Eagle
• Bird 87 – Bald Eagle
• Bird 126 – Bearded Vulture
• Bird 127 – Secretary Bird
• Bird 173 – Northern Goshawk
• Bird 191 – Snail Kite
• Bird 248 – Bateleur
• Bird 249 – Ruppell’s Vulture
• Bird 259 – Harpy Eagle
• Bird 264 – Secretary Bird (II)
• Bird 311 – Osprey

Cariamiformes

A curious flightless family of South American birds, like a lethal chicken with long legs.

• Bird 38 – Red-legged Seriema

Struthionformes

An almost totally unique Order that only contains the two species of Ostrich.

• Bird 39 – Common Ostrich

Apterygiformes

Kiwis. Little known fact, there are actually five unique species of Kiwi.

• Bird 47 – Northern Brown Kiwi
• Bird 140 – Elephant Bird (technically not part of this order, but close enough)

Strigiformes

Owls.

• Bird 55 – Barn Owl
• Bird 143 – Great Horned Owl
• Bird 163 – Elf Owl
• Bird 174 – Powerful Owl
• Bird 216 – Stygian Owl
• Bird 242 – Snowy Owl
• Bird 255 – Burrowing Owl
• Bird 277 – Blakiston’s Fish-owl
• Bird 288 – Norfolk Morepork Owl
• Bird 344 – Principe Scop Owl

Coraciiformes

An interesting collection of birds, containing the Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Motmots, usually quite colourful, brilliant birds.

• Bird 56 – Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher
• Bird 124 – Lilac-breasted Roller
• Bird 178 – Rainbow Bee-eater
• Bird 208 – Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher
• Bird 238 – Cuban Tody
• Bird 276 – Oriental Dollarbird
• Bird 347 – Keel-Billed Motmot

Procellariiformes

The Albatross and Petrel families.

• Bird 60 – Leach’s Storm Petrel
• Bird 92 – Tristan Albatross
• Bird 179 – Laysan Albatross
• Bird 202 – Wedge-tailed Shearwater
• Bird 254 – Snow Petrel
• Bird 297 – MacGillivary’s Prion

Phoenicopteriformes

Flamingos.

• Bird 71 – Flamingos

Piciformes

One of the funnest Orders, these are the Toucans and Woodpeckers … bet you didn’t think they were related.

• Bird 77 – Keel-billed Toucan
• Bird 133 – Acorn Woodpecker
• Bird 223 – Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
• Bird 304 – Spot-billed Toucanet
• Bird 310 – Northern Flicker

Cuculiformes

The cuckoo families. There are many cuckoos, and not all of them lay their eggs in other birds’ nests.

• Bird 78 – Greater Roadrunner
• Bird 104 – Common Cuckoo
• Bird 192 – Squirrel Cuckoo
• Bird 226 – Pacific Koel

Pelicaniformes

I mean … the name says it all – Pelicans, but also some other birds.

• Bird 79 – Shoebill
• Bird 149 – Scarlet Ibis
• Bird 171 – Great Blue Heron
• Bird 185 – Hamerkop
• Bird 203 – Great Egret
• Bird 252 – Australian Pelican
• Bird 253 – Straw-necked Ibis
• Bird 296 – White-faced Heron
• Bird 320 – Cattle Egret

Falconiformes

This time the name really does say it all – falcons and nothing else.

• Bird 83 – Peregrine Falcon
• Bird 351 – Eleonora’s Falcon
• Bird 355 – Pygmy Falcon

Cathartiformes

These are the New World Vultures. They evolved from different ancestors to the other Raptors. They’re an example of convergent evolution.

• Bird 95 – Black Vulture
• Bird 198 – Turkey Vulture
• Bird 243 – Andean Condor

Casuariiformes

Australia’s giant birds, the Emu and the Cassowary.

• Bird 117 – Emu
• Bird 241 – Southern Cassowary
• Bird 267 – King Island Emu
• Bird 333 – Northern Cassowary

Gruiformes

A strange family; the home of Cranes and their close relatives, although it also contains a number of oddball birds placed here out of a need to be placed somewhere rather than being strictly related to the Cranes.

• Bird 139 – Grey Crowned Crane
• Bird 211 – Takahe
• Bird 265 – Wake Island Rail
• Bird 312 – Australian Crake
• Bird 313 – Demoiselle Crane
• Bird 327 – Australasian Swamphen

Bucerotiformes

A rather striking family of birds, including the Hornbills and Hoopoes from Africa and Asia.

• Bird 180 – Helmeted Hornbill
• Bird 257 – Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
• Bird 309 – Eurasian Hoopoe

Coliiformes

A small group of birds from Africa. Mousebirds belong to an ancient avian lineage; in prehistoric times they were wide spread but today there are only six species.

• Bird 195 – Speckled Mousebird

Aegotheliformes

The Owlet-nightjars. For a long time people thought this small group of 11 birds belonged to the same Order as the Frogmouths and Nightjars, until it turned out they were more closely related to Hummingbirds.

• Bird 196 – Feline Owlet-nigthjar

Gaviiformes

A small order of birds containing only the five species of Loon.

• Bird 224 – Common Loon

Ciconiiformes

Storks! Although it can be difficult to tell the difference between a Heron, a Stork and a Cranes, Storks are their own thing.

• Bird 231 – White Stork
• Bird 274 – Marabou Stork

Tinamiformes

A strange family of birds, closely related to the Ostrich and Emu, but still able to fly. They proved that once upon a time all the Ratites could fly.

• 298 – Elegant Crested-Tinamou
• 308 – Moa (not really, but close enough)

Podicipediformes

Grebes. These water birds were once classified with the Loons. On the surface they appear to be very similar, but today we know that they are more closely related to Flamingos.

• 319 – Great Crested Grebe
• 335 – Hooded Grebe