List of bird genera concerns the chordata class of aves or
birds , characterised by
feathers , a
beak with no
teeth , the laying of hard-shelled eggs, and a high metabolic rate.
Restless flycatcher in the downstroke of flapping flight
Portrait of a
bald eagle , showing its strongly hooked beak and the cere covering the base of the beak.
Eagles, Old World vultures, secretary-birds, hawks, harriers, etc.
Landing mallard drake
Waterfowl
Purple-throated carib feeding at a flower
Swifts, treeswifts and hummingbirds
A
Southern brown kiwi .
Hornbills, hoopoes, and wood-hoopoes
A
Western red-billed hornbill .
Nightjars, nighthawks, potoos, oilbirds, frogmouths and owlet-nightjars
The
Madagascan nightjar is restricted to the islands of Madagascar and the Seychelles.
Red-legged seriema , Cariama cristata
Cassowaries and emus
Southern cassowary
New World vultures
American black vultures on a horse carcass
Plovers, crab plovers, lapwings, seagulls, puffins, auks, sandpipers, buttonquails, stilts, avocets, ibisbills, woodcocks, skuas, etc.
European herring gull
Storks, openbills, and jabiru
Marabou stork at
Etosha National Park in
Namibia
Mousebirds
Blue-naped mousebird (Urocolius macrourus)
Pigeons and doves
Rock dove in flight
Rollers, bee eaters, todies, kingfishers, etc.
Like many forest-living kingfishers, the
yellow-billed kingfisher often nests in arboreal termite nests.
Cuckoos, anis, etc.
Some species, like the
Asian emerald cuckoo (Chrysococcyx maculatus ) exhibit
iridescent plumage.
Sunbitterns and kagu
The sunbittern will open its wings to display two large eye spots when threatened
Falcons and caracara
The
laughing falcon is a snake-eating specialist
Gamebirds
Despite its distinct appearance, the
wild turkey is actually a very close relative of
pheasants
Red-throated loon (G. stellata ), the smallest living Gavia
species . Some
Miocene members of this
genus were smaller still.
Cranes, crakes, rails, wood-rails, fluftais, gallinules, limpkin, trumpeters, and finfoots
Rails are one of the most widespread Gruiformes
The cuckoo roller exhibits a pronounced sexual dichromatism in the plumage.
Subdesert mesite , Monias benschi
Turacos and go-away-birds
Great blue turaco Corythaeola cristata
Hoatzin at Lake Sandoval, Peru
Bustards, floricans, etc.
Captive specimen of a male great bustard, showing the characteristic long, beard-like feathers and heavy build.
Clockwise from top right:
Palestine sunbird (Cinnyris osea ),
blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata ),
house sparrow (Passer domesticus ),
great tit (Parus major ),
hooded crow (Corvus cornix ),
southern masked weaver (Ploceus velatus )
Passerines, the "song birds". This is the largest order of birds and contains more than half of all birds.
Family
Acanthisittidae
Family
Acanthizidae - scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones
Family
Acrocephalidae - marsh- and tree-warblers, recently split from the Sylviidae
Family
Aegithalidae - long-tailed tits or bushtits
Family
Aegithinidae
Family
Alaudidae - larks
Family
Artamidae - woodswallows, butcherbirds, currawongs, and Australian magpie
Family
Atrichornithidae
Family
Bernieridae - Malagasy warblers, a newly assembled family
Family
Bombycillidae
Family
Buphagidae
Genus
Buphagus - oxpeckers. Formerly usually included in Sturnidae.
Family
Calcariidae - longspurs and snow buntings
Family
Callaeidae - New Zealand wattlebirds
Family
Calyptophilidae
Family
Campephagidae - cuckooshrikes and trillers
Family
Cardinalidae - cardinals and allies
Family
Certhiidae - treecreepers
Family
Cettiidae - ground-warblers and allies, recently split from the Sylviidae
Family
Chaetopidae
Genus
Chaetops - rockjumpers, recently split from the Turdidae
Family
Chloropseidae
Family
Cinclidae
Family
Cisticolidae - cisticolas and allies
Family
Climacteridae - Australian treecreeper
Family
Cnemophilidae - satinbirds
Family
Conopophagidae - gnateaters and gnatpittas
Family
Corcoracidae - Australian mudnester
Family
Corvidae - crows, ravens, and jays
Family
Cotingidae - cotingas and allies
Family
Dasyornithidae
Genus
Dasyornis - bristlebirds (formerly in Acanthizidae)
Family
Dicaeidae - flowerpeckers (sunbirds and flowerpeckers, might be included in Passeroidea)
Family
Dicruridae
Family
Donacobiidae
Genus
Donacobius - black-capped donacobius (previously classed as a wren, but probably closest to the Locustellidae or Bernieridae)
Family
Dulidae (tentatively placed here)
Family
Elachuridae
Family
Emberizidae
Family
Erythrocercidae
Family
Estrildidae - estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, and allies)
Family
Eulacestomidae
Family
Eupetidae
Genus
Eupetes - Malaysian rail-babbler (recently split from the Cinclosomatidae)
Family
Eurylaimidae - broadbills
Family
Formicariidae - Antthrushe
Family
Fringillidae - true finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. (Possibly polyphyletic)
Family
Furnariidae - ovenbirds and woodcreepers
Family
Grallariidae - antpittas
Family
Hirundinidae - swallows and martins
Family
Hyliidae - newly proposed for genera currently in other families
Family
Hyliotidae
Genus
Hyliota - hyliotas (recently split from the Sylviidae)
Family
Hypocoliidae
Genus
Hypocolius - grey hypocolius (tentatively placed here)
Family
Icteridae - grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles
Family
Ifritidae
Genus
Ifrita - blue-capped ifrit
Family
Irenidae
Genus
Irena - fairy-bluebirds
Family
Laniidae - shrikes
Family
Leiothrichidae - laughingthrushes and allies
Family
Locustellidae - grass-warbler and allies, recently split from the Sylviidae
Family
Machaerirhynchidae
Family
Macrosphenidae - African warblers such as longbills and crombecs, a recently proposed family whose composition is still uncertain
Family
Malaconotidae - puffbacks, bushshrikes, tchagras, boubous, and allies
Family
Maluridae - fairywrens, emu-wren, and grasswrens
Family
Melampittidae
Family
Melanocharitidae - berrypeckers and longbills
Family
Melanopareiidae
Family
Meliphagidae - honeyeaters
Family
Menuridae
Family
Mimidae - mockingbirds and thrashers
Family
Mitrospingidae
Family
Modulatricidae - dapple-throat and allies (sometimes Arcanatoridae)
Family
Mohouidae
Family
Monarchidae - monarch flycatchers
Family
Motacillidae
Family
Muscicapidae - Old World flycatchers and chats. (Monophyly needs confirmation)
Family
Nectariniidae - sunbirds and spiderhunters
Family
Neosittidae
Family
Nesospingidae
Family
Nicatoridae
Family
Notiomystidae
Family
Oreoicidae - Australo-Papuan bellbirds
Family
Oriolidae - Old World orioles
Family
Orthonychidae
Family
Pachycephalidae
Family
Panuridae
Genus
Panurus - bearded reedling (formerly classed as a parrotbill)
Family
Paradisaeidae - birds-of-paradise
Family
Paramythiidae - painted berrypeckers
Family
Pardalotidae
Family
Paridae - Tits, chickadees, and titmice
Family
Parulidae - New World warblers
Family
Passerellidae - New World sparrows
Family
Passeridae - Old World sparrows
Family
Pellorneidae - jungle babblers
Family
Petroicidae - Australasian robins
Family
Peucedramidae
Family
Phaenicophilidae
Family
Philepittidae - asities
Family
Phylloscopidae - leaf-warblers and allies (recently split from the Sylviidae)
Family
Picathartidae
Family
Pipridae - manakins
Family
Pittidae - pittas
Family
Pityriaseidae
Genus
Pityriasis - Bornean bristlehead (tentatively placed here)
Family
Platysteiridae - wattle-eyes and relatives (formerly in Passerida , probably paraphyletic)
Family
Ploceidae - weavers
Family
Pnoepygidae
Family
Polioptilidae - gnatcatchers
Family
Pomatostomidae - Australo-Papuan babblers
Family
Prionopidae - see Vangidae
Family
Promeropidae
Family
Prunellidae
Family
Psophodidae
Family
Ptiliogonatidae - silky flycatchers (tentatively placed here)
Family
Ptilonorhynchidae - bowerbirds
Family
Pycnonotidae - bulbuls
Family
Regulidae
Family
Remizidae - penduline tits (sometimes included in the Paridae)
Family
Rhagologidae
Family
Rhinocryptidae - tapaculos
Family
Rhipiduridae - fantails
Family
Rhodinocichlidae
Family
Salpornithidae
Genus
Salpornis - spotted creepers (Tentatively placed here; often considered a subfamily of the Certhidae)
Family
Sapayoidae
Genus
Sapayoa - broad-billed sapayoa
Family
Scotocercidae
Family
Sittidae
Family
Spindalidae
Family
Stenostiridae
Family
Sturnidae - starlings
Family
Sylviidae - sylviid warblers and allies
Genus
Chamaea – wrentit
Genus
Chleuasicus – pale-billed parrotbill (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae)
Genus
Cholornis (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae)
Genus
Chrysomma (Formerly in Timaliidae)
Genus
Conostoma – great parrotbill (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae; tentatively placed here)
Genus
Fulvetta (Formerly in Alcippe )
Genus
Graueria - Grauer's warbler
Genus
Horizorhinus – Dohrn's thrush-babbler (Formerly in Timaliidae)
Genus
Lioparus – golden-breasted fulvetta (Formerly in Alcippe )
Genus
Lioptilus – bush blackcap (Formerly in Timaliidae)
Genus
Moupinia - rufous-tailed babbler (Formerly in Chrysomma )
Genus
Myzornis - fire-tailed myzornis
Genus
Neosuthora – short-tailed parrotbill (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae)
Genus
Paradoxornis (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae)
Genus
Parophasma - Abyssinian catbird
Genus
Pseudoalcippe (Formerly in Illadopsis )
Genus
Psittiparus (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae)
Genus
Rhopophilus (Formerly in Cisticolidae)
Genus
Sinosuthora (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae)
Genus
Suthora (Formerly in Paradoxornithidae)
Genus
Sylvia – typical warblers
Family
Teretistridae
Family
Thamnophilidae - antbirds
Family
Thraupidae - tanagers and allies
Family
Tichodromadidae
Family
Timaliidae - Old World babblers
Family
Tityridae - tityras and allies
Family
Troglodytidae - wrens
Family
Turdidae - thrushes and allies (Monophyly needs confirmation)
Family
Tyrannidae - tyrant flycatchers
Family
Urocynchramidae
Family
Vangidae - vangas, helmetshrikes, and allies
Family
Viduidae
Family
Vireonidae - vireos and allies
Family
Zeledoniidae
Family
Zosteropidae - white-eyes
Family Uncertain (This has traditionally been considered a member of the family Pachycephalidae, but recent genetic evidence suggests it should be placed in a monotypic subfamily of the family Bombycillidae, or even its own family, Hylocitreidae)
A brown pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis , taken in Santa Barbara, California
Pelicans, ibises, shoebills, egrets, herons, etc.
Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus subsp. mesonauta) in waters around Trinidad & Tobago
James's flamingos at Laguna Colorada in
Bolivia
A
black-rumped flameback using its tail for support
Woodpickers, flickers, toucans, aracaris, motmots, etc.
Diving grebe
Petrels, storm petrels, albatrosses, and diving petrels
The poorly known
New Zealand storm petrel was considered extinct for 150 years before being rediscovered in 2003.
Parrots, parakeets, macaws, and cockatoos
Most parrot species are tropical, but a few species, like this
austral parakeet , range deeply into temperate zones.
Pallas's sandgrouse in a field in the Gobi Desert
A flock of rhea in Lenschow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae ) feeding young. Like its relatives, a neatly bi-coloured species with a head marking.
Owls
Great horned owl perched on the top of a Joshua tree at evening
twilight in the
Mojave Desert USA.
A male Somali ostrich in a Kenyan savanna, showing its blueish neck
Boobies, gannets, frigatebirds, cormorants, shags, and darters
Little cormorant Phalacrocorax niger
Great tinamou roosting
Trogons and quetzals
A pair of
scarlet-rumped trogons , showing
sexual dimorphism in the plumage. The female is on the left, male on the right.