Birds

Birds classification

2008-10-21T03:55:08-06:00

This page lists living orders and families of birds, class Aves. The links below should then lead to family accounts and hence to individual species.

Taxonomy is very fluid in the age of DNA analysis, so comments are made where appropriate, and all numbers are approximate. In particular see Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy for a very different classification.

This article and the descendant family articles follow the taxonomy of the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) for families largely endemic to that region, and otherwise the Handbook of Birds of the World (HBW).

Paleognathae

The flightless and mostly giant Struthioniformes lack a keeled sternum and are collectively known as ratites. Together with the Tinamiformes, they form the Paleognathae (or 'old jaws'), one of the two evolutionary "super orders".

Struthioniformes: mainly southern hemisphere; 12 species, 2 extinct
- Struthionidae: Ostrich
  Casuariidae: emus and cassowaries
  Apterygidae: kiwis
  Rheidae: rheas
Tinamiformes: South America; 45 species
- Tinamidae: tinamous

Neognathae

Nearly all living birds belong to the super order of Neognathae— or 'new jaws'. With their keels, unlike the ratites, they are known as carinates. The passerines alone account for well over 5000 species.

Anseriformes: worldwide; 150 species
- Anhimidae: screamers
  Anseranatidae: Magpie-goose
  Anatidae: swans, geese and ducks
Galliformes: worldwide except northern Eurasia; 256 species.
- Megapodidae: mound-builders
  Cracidae: chachalacas, guans and curassows
  Tetraonidae: grouse
  Phasianidae: partridges, pheasants, quail and allies
  Odontophoridae: New World quails
  Numididae: guineafowl
  Meleagrididae: turkeys
  Mesitornithidae: mesites
Sphenisciformes: Antarctic and southern waters; 16 species
- Spheniscidae: penguins
Gaviiformes: North America, Eurasia; 5 species
- Gaviidae loons or divers
Podicipediformes: worldwide; 20 species
- Podicipedidae: grebes
Procellariiformes: pan-oceanic; 93 species
- Diomedeidae: albatrosses
  Procellariidae: fulmars, prions, shearwaters, gadfly and other petrels
  Pelecanoididae: diving petrels
  Hydrobatidae: storm petrels
Pelecaniformes: worldwide; 57 species
- Pelecanidae: pelicans
  Sulidae: gannets and boobies
  Phalacrocoracidae: cormorants
  Fregatidae: frigatebirds
  Anhingidae: Anhinga and darters
  Phaethontidae: tropicbirds
Ciconiiformes: all continents; 115 species.
- Ardeidae: herons and bitterns
  Cochlearidae: Boatbill
  Balaenicipitidae: Shoebill
  Scopidae: Hammerkop
  Ciconiidae: storks
  Threskiornithidae: ibises and spoonbills
  Phoenicopteridae flamingos
Accipitriformes: worldwide; about 226 species. Some classifications also include the Falconidae.
- Cathartidae: New World vultures and Condors
  Pandionidae: Osprey
  Accipitridae: hawks, eagles, buzzards and Old World vultures, harriers, kites, and allies
  Sagittaridae: Secretary Bird
Falconiformes: worldwide; 60 species. Sometimes included in the Accipitriformes.
- Falconidae: falcons
Turniciformes: Old World, 15 species
- Turnicidae: buttonquail
Gruiformes: worldwide; 196 species
- Gruidae: cranes
  Aramidae: Limpkin
  Psophiidae: trumpeters
  Rallidae: rails, crakes, coots and allies
  Heliornithidae: finfoots and Sungrebe
  Rhynochetidae: Kagu
  Eurypigidae: Sunbittern
  Cariamidae: seriemas
  Otidae: bustards
Charadriiformes: worldwide; 305 species
- Jacanidae: jacanas
  Rostratulidae: painted snipe
  Haematopodidae: oystercatchers
  Charadriidae: plovers
  Pluvianellidae: Magellanic Plover
  Ibidorhynchidae: Ibisbill
  Recurvirostridae: avocets and stilts
  Scolopacidae: typical waders or shorebirds
  Dromadidae: Crab Plover
  Burhinidae: thick-knees
  Glareolidae: coursers and pratincoles
  Thinocoridae: seedsnipe
  Pedionomidae: Plains Wanderer
  Chionididae: sheathbill
  Stercorariidae: skuas
  Laridae: gulls
  Sternidae: terns
  Rhynchopidae: skimmers
  Alcidae: auks
Pterocliformes: Africa, Europe, Asia; 16 species
- Pteroclidae: sandgrouse
Columbiformes: worldwide; 300 species
- Raphidae: dodos
  Columbidae: pigeons and doves
Psittaciformes: pan-tropical, southern temperate zones; 330 species
- Cacatuidae: cockatoos
  Psittacidae: parrots
Cuculiformes: worldwide; 151 species
- Musophagidae: turacos and allies
  Cuculidae: cuckoos
  Opisthocomidae: Hoatzin
Strigiformes: worldwide; 134 species
- Tytonidae: barn owls
  Strigidae: typical owls
Caprimulgiformes: worldwide; 96 species
- Steatornithidae: Oilbird
  Podargidae: frogmouths
  Nyctibiidae: potoos
  Aegothelidae: owlet-nightjars
  Caprimulgidae: nightjars
Apodiformes: worldwide; 403 species
- Apodidae: swifts
  Hemiprocnidae: tree swifts
Trochiliformes
- Trochilidae: hummingbirds
Coliiformes: Sub-Saharan Africa; 6 species
- Coliidae: mousebirds
Trogoniformes: Sub-Saharan Africa, Americas, Asia; 35 species
- Trogonidae: trogons and quetzals
Coraciiformes: worldwide; 192 species
- Alcedinidae: river kingfishers
  Halcyonidae: tree kingfishers
  Cerylidae: water or belted kingfishers
  Todidae: todies
  Momotidae: motmots
  Meropidae: bee-eaters
  Leptosomatidae: Cuckoo Roller
  Brachypteraciidae: ground rollers
  Coraciidae: rollers
  Upupidae: Hoopoe
  Phoeniculidae: woodhoopoes
  Bucerotidae: hornbills
Piciformes: worldwide except Australasia; 376 species
- Galbulidae: jacamars
  Bucconidae: puffbirds
  Capitonidae: barbets
  Indicatoridae: honeyguides
  Ramphastidae: toucans
  Picidae: woodpeckers
Passeriformes: worldwide; about 5200 species
- Suborder Tyranni ("suboscines")
- Tyrannidae: tyrant flycatchers
  Acanthisittidae: New Zealand wrens
  Pittidae: pittas
  Eurylaimidae: broadbills
  Dendrocolaptidae: woodcreepers
  Furnariidae: ovenbirds
  Thamnophilidae: antbirds
  Formicariidae: antpittas and antthrushes
  Conopophagidae: gnateaters
  Rhinocryptidae: tapaculos
  Cotingidae: cotingas
  Pipridae: manakins
  Philepittidae: asities
- Suborder Passeri ("oscines")
- Atrichornithidae: scrub-birds
  Menuridae: lyrebirds
  Turnagridae: Piopio
  Alaudidae: larks
  Hirundinidae: swallows
  Motacillidae: wagtails and pipits
  Campephagidae: cuckoo-shrikes
  Pycnonotidae: bulbuls
  Regulidae: kinglets
  Chloropseidae: leafbirds
  Aegithinidae: ioras
  Ptilogonatidae: silky-flycatchers
  Bombycillidae: waxwings
  Hypocoliidae: hypocolius
  Dulidae: Palmchat
  Cinclidae: dippers
  Troglodytidae: wrens
  Mimidae: mockingbirds, thrashers and Gray Catbird
  Prunellidae: accentors
  Turdidae: thrushes and allies
  Cisticolidae: cisticolas and allies
  Sylviidae: Old World warblers
  Polioptilidae: gnatcatchers
  Muscicapidae: Old World flycatchers
  Platysteiridae: wattle-eyes
  Petroicidae: Australasian robins
  Pachycephalidae: whistlers and allies
  Picathartidae: rockfowl
  Timaliidae: babblers
  Pomatostomidae: pseudo-babblers
  Paradoxornithidae: parrotbills
  Orthonychidae: logrunner and chowchilla
  Cinclosomatidae: whipbirds and quail-thrushes
  Aegithalidae: long-tailed tits
  Maluridae: fairy-wrens, emu-wrens and grasswrens
  Neosittidae: sitellas
  Climacteridae: Australasian treecreepers
  Paridae: chickadees and tits
  Sittidae: nuthatches
  Tichodromidae: Wallcreeper
  Certhiidae: treecreepers
  Rhabdornithidae: Philippine creepers
  Remizidae: penduline tits
  Nectariniidae: sunbirds and spiderhunters
  Melanocharitidae: berrypeckers and longbills
  Paramythiidae: tit berrypecker and crested berrypeckers
  Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers
  Pardalotidae: pardalotes, thornbills and alies
  Zosteropidae: white-eyes
  Promeropidae: sugarbirds
  Meliphagidae: honeyeaters and chats
  Oriolidae: Old World orioles
  Irenidae: fairy-bluebirds
  Laniidae: shrikes
  Malaconotidae: bushshrikes and allies
  Prionopidae: helmetshrikes
  Vangidae: vangas
  Dicruridae: drongos
  Callaeidae: wattlebirds
  Corcoracidae: White-winged Chough and Apostlebird
  Artamidae: currawongs, woodswallows, butcherbirds & allies
  Pityriaseidae: bristlehead
  Paradisaeidae: birds-of-paradise
  Ptilonorhynchidae: bowerbirds
  Corvidae: crows, jays and magpies
  Sturnidae: starlings
  Passeridae: Old World sparrows
  Ploceidae: weavers and allies
  Estrildidae: waxbills and allies
  Viduidae: indigobirds
  Vireonidae: vireos and allies
  Fringillidae: finches, crossbills and allies
  Drepanididae: Hawaiian honeycreepers
  Peucedramidae: Olive Warbler
  Parulidae: New World warblers
  Coerebidae: Bananaquit
  Thraupidae: tanagers and allies
  Emberizidae: buntings, seedeaters and allies
  Cardinalidae: saltators, cardinals and allies
  Icteridae: troupials and allies

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Video: Bird Classification (Order) (The Bird classification from Ratites to Passerines)

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Beak

2008-09-25T13:39:09-06:00

The bill of a scavenger—the vulture.

The beak—otherwise known as the bill or rostrum—is an external anatomical structure which serves as the mouth in some animals. It is a distinctive feature of birds and, in addition to eating, is used by them for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship, and feeding their young.

The bill and knob of a domesticated Chinese goose, highly exaggerated by farm selection.

Billing

Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus) billing.

During courtship, mated pairs of a variety of bird species touch and clasp each other's bills. This is called billing, and appears to strengthen the pair bond (Terres, 1980). Gannets raise their bills high and repeatedly clatter them (pictured); the male puffin nibbles at the female's beak; the male waxwing puts his bill in the female's mouth; and ravens hold each other's beaks in a prolonged "kiss".

The bill of the Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus.

References

The beak of a Brown Falcon, Falco berigora.

Gilbertson, Lance; Zoology Lab Manual; McGraw Hill Companies, New York; ISBN 0-07-237716-X (fourth edition, 1999)
Terres, John. K. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980. ISBN 0394466519

Comparison of different types of bird beaks, displaying the different shapes that are a result of different feeding adaptations. Bird heads are not shown to scale.

Links

The beak of an African Penguin, Spheniscus demersus.

The long white beak of a Long-billed Corella (Cacatua (Licmetis) tenuirostris) is used to dig for roots and seeds.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Video: Beauty and the Beak

Bird topography

2008-09-25T09:59:43-06:00

Bird topography

Seabirds

2008-09-07T04:12:19-06:00

Some seabirds, such as the Black Guillemot and some gulls, are quite sedentary; others, such as most of the terns and auks breeding in the temperate northern hemisphere, move south varying distances in winter. The Arctic Tern has the longest-distance migration of any bird, and sees more daylight than any other, moving from its arctic breeding grounds to the antarctic wintering areas. One Arctic Tern, ringed (banded) as a chick on the Farne Islands off the British east coast, reached Melbourne, Australia in just three months from fledging, a sea journey of over 22,000 km (14,000 miles). Seabirds, of course, have the advantage that they can feed on migration.

The most pelagic species, mainly in the 'tubenose' order Procellariiformes, are great wanderers, and the albatrosses of the southern oceans may circle the globe as they ride the "roaring forties" outside the breeding season. The tubenoses in general spread thinly over large areas of open ocean, but congregate when food becomes available. Many of them are also among the longest-distance migrants; Sooty Shearwaters nesting on the Falkland Islands migrate 14,000 km (9,000 miles) between the breeding colony and the North Atlantic Ocean off Norway, and some Manx Shearwaters do the same journey in reverse. As they are long-lived birds, they may cover enormous distances during their lives; one record-breaking Manx Shearwater is calculated to have flown 8 million km (5 million miles) during its over-50 year lifespan.

Pelagic birding trips attract petrels and other procellarids by tipping "chum", a mixture of fish oil and offal, into the sea. Within minutes, a previously apparently empty ocean is full of petrels, fulmars and shearwaters attracted by the food.

A few seabirds, such as Wilson's Petrel and Great Shearwater, breed in the southern hemisphere and migrate north in the southern winter.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

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2008-08-25T16:30:25-06:00

Birds are bipedal, warm-blooded, oviparous vertebrate animals characterized primarily by feathers, forelimbs modified as wings, and (in most) hollow bones.

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Wildfowl and waders

2008-08-19T12:23:16-06:00

The typical image of migration is of northern landbirds such as swallows and birds of prey making long flights to the tropics. Many northern-breeding ducks, geese and swans are also long-distance migrants, but need only to move from their arctic breeding grounds far enough south to escape frozen waters.

The Lesser Striped Swallow is a partial migrant within Africa

This means that most wildfowl remain in the Northern hemisphere, but in milder countries. For example, the Pink-footed Goose migrates from Iceland to Britain and neighbouring countries. Usually wintering grounds are traditional and learned by the young when they migrate with their parents.

Some ducks, such as the Garganey, do move completely or partially into the tropics.

A similar situation occurs with waders (called "shorebirds" in North America). Many species, such as Dunlin and Western Sandpiper, undertake long movements from their arctic breeding grounds to warmer locations in the same hemisphere, but others such as Semipalmated Sandpiper travel huge distances to the tropics.

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Most of the wildfowl are large and powerful, and even the waders are strong fliers. This means that birds wintering in temperate regions have the capacity to make further shorter movements in the event of particularly inclement weather.

The same considerations about barriers and detours that apply to long-distance land-bird migration apply to water birds, but in reverse: a large area of land without bodies of water that offer feeding sites is a barrier to a water bird. Open sea may also be a barrier to a bird that feeds in coastal waters. Detours avoiding such barriers are observed: for example, Brent Geese migrating from the Taymyr Peninsula to the Wadden Sea travel via the White Sea coast and the Baltic Sea rather than directly across the Arctic Ocean and northern Scandinavia.

For some species of waders, migration success depends on the availability of certain key food resources at stopover points along the migration route. This gives the migrants an opportunity to "refuel" for the next leg of the voyage. Some examples of important stopover locations are the Bay of Fundy and Delaware Bay.

Some Alaskan Bar-tailed Godwits have the longest non-stop flight of any migrant, flying 11,000 km to their New Zealand wintering grounds (BTO News 258: 3, 2005). Prior to migration, 55% of their bodyweight is stored fat to fuel this uninterrupted journey.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.

Land bird migration

2008-08-08T08:30:20-06:00

Long-distance land bird migration

Many species of land migratory birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being for birds to breed in the temperate or arctic northern hemisphere and winter in warmer regions, often in the tropics or the temperate zones of the southern hemisphere.

There is a strong genetic component to migration in terms of timing and route, but this may be modified by environmental influences. An interesting example where a change of migration route has occurred because of such a geographical barrier is the trend for some Blackcaps in central Europe to migrate west and winter in Britain rather than cross the Alps. Theoretical analyses, summarised by Alerstam (2001), show that detours that increase flight distance by up to 20% will often be adaptive on aerodynamic grounds - a bird that loads itself with food in order to cross a long barrier flies less efficiently. However some species show circuitous migratory routes that reflect historical range expansions and are far from optimal in ecological terms. An example is the migration of continental populations of Swainson's Thrush, which fly far east across North America before turning south via Florida to reach northern South America; this route is believed to be the consequence of a range expansion that occurred about 10,000 years ago. Detours may also be caused by differential wind conditions, predation risk, or other factors.

The advantage of the migration strategy is that, in the long days of the northern summer, breeding birds have more hours to feed their young on often abundant food supplies, particularly insects. As the days shorten in autumn and food supplies become scarce, the birds can return to warmer regions where the length of the day varies less and there is an all year round food supply. Most of the passerine migrants fly by night in small flocks. During dusk prior to migration, they show a restlessness which is termed zugunruhe. They may also sing at night during this period of pre-migration restlessness.

The downside of migration is the hazards of the journey, especially when difficult habitats such as deserts and oceans must be crossed, and weather conditions may be adverse.

The risks of predation are also high. The Eleonora's Falcon which breeds on Mediterranean islands has a very late breeding season, timed so that autumn passerine migrants can be hunted to feed its young.

Whether a particular species migrates depends on a number of factors. The climate of the breeding area is important, and few species can cope with the harsh winters of inland Canada or northern Eurasia. Thus the Blackbird Turdus merula is migratory in Scandinavia, but not in the milder climate of southern Europe.

The nature of the staple food is also important. Most specialist insect eaters are long-distance migrants, and have little choice but to head south in winter.

Sometimes the factors are finely balanced. The Whinchat Saxicola rubetra of Europe and the Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maura of Asia are a long-distance migrants wintering in the tropics, whereas their close relative, the European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola is a resident bird in most of its range, and moves only short distances from the colder north and east.

Certain areas, because of their location, have become famous as watchpoints for migrating birds. Examples are the Point Pelee National Park in Canada, and Spurn in England. Drift migration of birds blown off course by the wind can result in "falls" of large numbers of migrants at coastal sites.

Another cause of birds occurring outside their normal ranges is the "spring overshoot" in which birds returning to their breeding areas overshoot and end up further north than intended.

A mechanism which can lead to great rarities turning up as vagrants thousands of kilometres out of range is reverse migration, where the genetic programming of young birds fails to work properly.

Recent research suggests that long-distance passerine migrants are of South American and African, rather than northern hemisphere, evolutionary origins. They are effectively southern species coming north to breed rather than northern species going south to winter.

Broad-winged long distance migrants

Some large broad-winged birds rely on thermal columns of rising hot air to enable them to soar. These include many birds of prey such as vultures, eagles and buzzards, but also storks.

Migratory species in these groups have great difficulty crossing large bodies of water, since thermals can only form over land, and these birds cannot maintain active flight for long distances.

The Mediterranean and other seas therefore present a major obstacle to soaring birds, which are forced to cross at the narrowest points. This means that massive numbers of large raptors and storks pass through areas such as Gibraltar, Falsterbo and the Bosphorus at migration times. Commoner species, such as the Honey Buzzard, can be counted in hundreds of thousands in autumn.

Other barriers, such as mountain ranges, can also cause funnelling, particularly of large diurnal migrants.

Short-distance land bird migration

The long-distance migrants in the previous section are effectively genetically programmed to respond to changing lengths of days. However many species move shorter distances, but may do so only in response to harsh weather conditions.

Thus mountain and moorland breeders, such as Wallcreeper and White-throated Dipper, may move only altitudinally to escape the cold higher ground. Other species such as Merlin and Skylark will move further to the coast or to a more southerly region.

Species like the Chaffinch are not migratory in Britain, but will move south or to Ireland in very cold weather. Interestingly, in Scandinavia, the female of this species migrates, but not the male, giving rise to the specific name coelebs, a bachelor.

Short-distance passerine migrants have two evolutionary origins. Those which have long-distance migrants in the same family, such as the Chiffchaff, are species of southern hemisphere origins which have progressively shortened their return migration so that they stay in the northern hemisphere.

Those species which have no long-distance migratory relatives, such as the waxwings, are effectively moving in response to winter weather, rather than enhanced breeding opportunities.

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.