Outline of birds

Outline of birds
House Sparrow, Passer domesticus

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to birds:

Birds (class Aves) – winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most varied of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) Bee Hummingbird to the 2.75 m (9 ft) Ostrich. The fossil record indicates that birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Jurassic period, around 150–200 Ma (million years ago), and the earliest known bird is the Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx, c 150–145 Ma. Most paleontologists regard birds as the only clade of dinosaurs to have survived the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event approximately 65.5 Ma.

Contents

Biological classification

Cladogram showing the most recent classification of Neoaves, based on several phylogenetic studies.
Further information: Biological classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Aves

Nature of birds

Main article: Bird

Bird anatomy

Main article: Bird anatomy
External anatomy (topography) of a typical bird: 1 Beak, 2 Head, 3 Iris, 4 Pupil, 5 Mantle, 6 Lesser coverts, 7 Scapulars, 8 Coverts, 9 Tertials, 10 Rump, 11 Primaries, 12 Vent, 13 Thigh, 14 Tibio-tarsal articulation, 15 Tarsus, 16 Feet, 17 Tibia, 18 Belly, 19 Flanks, 20 Breast, 21 Throat, 22 Wattle

Bird behavior

Main article: Bird behavior

Types of birds

Orders

v · d · eOrder: Accipitriformes
Family
Sagittaridae (Secretarybird) • Pandionidae (Osprey) • Accipitridae (Buzzards, eagles, harriers, hawks, kites, and Old World vultures) • Cathartidae (New World vultures)
v · d · eFlamingos (order: Phoenicopteriformes • family: Phoenicopteridae • genus: Phoenicopterus)
Species
v · d · eLoons or Divers (order: Gaviiformes • family: Gaviidae • genus: Gavia)
Species
Black-throated Loon (Arctic Loon or Black-throated Diver) • Great Northern Loon (Common Loon or Great Northern Diver) • Pacific Loon (Pacific Diver) • Red-throated Loon (Red-throated Diver) • Yellow-billed Loon (White-billed Diver)
v · d · eMousebirds (order: Coliiformes • family: Coliidae)
Genus
Colius
Urocolius
v · d · eOrder: Pelecaniformes (traditional listing)
v · d · eOrder: Procellariiformes
Families
Diomedeidae (Albatrosses) • Procellariidae (Shearwaters and petrels) • Hydrobatidae (Storm petrels) • Pelecanoididae (Diving-petrels) • †Diomedeoididae (Diomedeoidids)
Related subjects
v · d · eSandgrouse (order: Pteroclidiformes • family: Pteroclididae)
Genus
Syrrhaptes
Pterocles
v · d · eTropicbirds (order: Phaethontiformes • family: Phaethontidae • genus: Phaethon)
Species

Families