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This page lists living orders and families of birds, class Aves (for extinct birds, please see Extinct birds and Prehistoric 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.

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".

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.

See also

For regions smaller than continents see:

Lists of animals | Lists of birds | Birds by classification

Systematik der Vögel | Lista de aves | Lijst van vogels | Liste des ouésiâos | Aves | 鸟类传统分类系统 | Lista de aves

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "List of birds".

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