Types of Birds

Types of Birds

There are about 10,000 species of birds.

The types of birds (orders) are:

  • Anseriformes (ducks, geese, screamers, swans, and waterfowl)
  • Apodiformes (hummingbirds and swifts)
  • Caprimulgiformes (nightbirds)
  • Charadriiformes (shorebirds and relatives)
  • Ciconiiformes (storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and relatives)
  • Coliiformes (mousebirds and colies)
  • Columbiformes (pigeons and doves)
  • Coraciiformes (kingfishers)
  • Craciformes (megapodes, curassows)
  • Cuculiformes (cuckoos, hoatzin, relatives, and turacoss)
  • Falconiformes (birds of prey)
  • Galliformes (chickens, fowls)
  • Gaviiformes (loons)
  • Gruiformes (coots, cranes, and railss)
  • Passeriformes (songbirds) – this order contains more than half of all bird species
  • Pelecaniformes (pelicans and relatives)
  • Phoenicopteriformes (flamingos)
  • Piciformes (woodpeckers)
  • Podicipediformes (grebess)
  • Procellariiformes (tube-nosed seabirds)
  • Psittaciformes (parrots)
  • Sphenisciformes (penguin)
  • Strigiformes (owls)
  • Struthioniformes (emus, kiwis, cassowaires, ostriches, and rheas)
  • Tinamiformes (tinamous)
  • Trogoniformes (trogons)
  • Turniciformes (buttonquail)