Bird classification

This page lists living orders and families of birds. 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.

Cladogram of modern bird relationships based on Jarvis, E.D. et al. (2014) with some clade names after Yury, T. et al. (2013).

Palaeognathae (ratites etc.)

Galloanserae (ducks, chickens, etc.)

Mirandornithes (flamingos and grebes)

Columbidae (pigeons)

Mesitornithidae (mesites)

Pteroclididae (sandgrouses)

Cypselomorphae (hummingbirds, swifts)

Cuculidae (cuckoos)

Otididae (bustards)

Musophagidae (turacos)

Opisthocomidae (hoatzin)

Gruiformes (rails and cranes)

Charadriiformes (shorebirds)

Aequornithes (loons, penguins, herons, pelicans, storks, etc)

Eurypygiformes (sunbittern, kagu)

Phaethontidae (tropicbirds)

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