Skip to main content
Biology LibreTexts

12.23: Bird Classification

  • Page ID
    6724
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    f-d:6fc024d4830aedf8a8fefa61be9c7974d7a27cd8f59a132c364bccd6 IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Raptor vs. landfowl. Any obvious differences?

    Of course there are. That is like comparing a turkey to an owl. And there are also flightless birds, birds that live near water, and parrots. With almost 10,000 species of birds, there are bound to be significant differences.

    Classification of Birds

    There are about 10,000 living species of birds. Almost all of them can fly, but there are several exceptions.

    Flightless Birds

    Some birds have lost the ability to fly during the course of their evolution. Several flightless birds are shown in Figure below. They include the ostrich, kiwi, rhea, cassowary, and moa. All of these birds have long legs and are adapted for running. The penguins shown in the figure are also flightless birds, but they have a very different body shape. That’s because they are adapted for swimming rather than running.

    Various flightless birds

    Flightless Birds. Flightless birds that are adapted for running include the ostrich, kiwi, rhea, cassowary, and moa. Penguins are flightless birds adapted for swimming.

    Flying Birds

    Birds that are able to fly are divided into 29 orders that differ in their physical traits and behaviors. Table below describes seven of the most common orders. As shown in the table, the majority of flying birds are perching birds, like the honeyeater described in the last row of the table. The order of perching birds has more species than all the other bird orders combined. In fact, this order of birds is the largest single order of land vertebrates.

    Order Description Example
    Landfowl: turkeys, chickens, pheasants They are large in size; they spend most of their time on the ground; they usually have a thick neck and short, rounded wings; their flight tends to be brief and close to the ground.

    turkey

    f-d:3635758402b040ce6e89cb6d54caa6f02eaa5365978c78def815e9c3 IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Waterfowl: ducks, geese, swans They are large in size; they spend most of their time on the water surface; they have webbed feet and are good swimmers; most are strong flyers.

    ducks

    f-d:26f71a38095c1dea0a6004c79b1a05994ff33593641364e9f57a2ce8 IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Shorebirds: puffins, gulls, plovers They range from small to large; most live near the water, and some are sea birds; they have webbed feet and are good swimmers; most are strong flyers.

    puffin

    f-d:488b757185972d0c7263899dafca2e60f477158b615bf1ee00d2c659 IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Diurnal Raptors: hawks, falcons, eagles They range from small to large; they are active during the day and sleep during the night; they have a sharp, hooked beak and strong legs with clawed feet; they hunt by sight and have excellent vision.

    hawk

    f-d:971fda84977bfb028cab05d2c76096b61309b01f3506a8c3393dd2eb IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Nocturnal Raptors: burrowing owls, barn owls, horned owls They range from small to large; they are active during the night and sleep during the day; they have a sharp, hooked beak and strong legs with clawed feet; they have large, forward-facing eyes; they have excellent hearing and can hunt with their sense of hearing alone.

    burrowing owl

    f-d:e64bfec81206f8791f8d3d6f7ad0870a9d11beafad00818e9b0ffd6b IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Parrots: cockatoos, parrots, parakeets They range from small to large; they are found in tropical regions; they have a strong, curved bill; they stand upright on strong legs with clawed feet; many are brightly colored; they are very intelligent.

    cockatoo

    f-d:ec2059870a5d3a74f025857fd88019a21d5e76f4de842a26527faf45 IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Perching Birds: honeyeaters, sparrows, crows They are small in size; they perch above the ground in trees and on buildings and wires; they have four toes for grasping a perch; many are songbirds.

    honeyeater

    f-d:57339b3225a602a893a2625ed589fd29bb193b2a52ce9adfc2ea445f IMAGE_TINY IMAGE_TINY.1

    Summary

    • There are about 10,000 living species of birds, almost all of which can fly.
    • Flying birds are divided into 29 orders. The most common orders include landfowl, waterfowl, shorebirds, diurnal and nocturnal raptors, parrots, and perching birds.

    Review

    1. Name and describe flightless birds.
    2. Compare and contrast nocturnal and diurnal raptors.
    3. Give examples of landfowl and waterfowl.
    4. Describe parrots.

    This page titled 12.23: Bird Classification is shared under a CK-12 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by CK-12 Foundation via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

    CK-12 Foundation
    LICENSED UNDER
    CK-12 Foundation is licensed under CK-12 Curriculum Materials License
    • Was this article helpful?