Bird Orders

otidiformes

bustards (26 species), related to turacos and cuckoos, cranelike birds without hind toes, occur mostly in grasslands and savannahs of Africa, Kori bustard is the largest bird in the world capable of flight

leptosomiformes

cuckoo roller (1 species) ancient lineage with no known living relatives, forest and woodlands of Madagascar, legs and feet small with unusual structure ( now thought to be zygodactylous)

cuculiformes

cuckoos and roadrunners (26 species) cuckoos: mostly insectivorous, but also eat small birds and eggs, all Old World cuckoo species are brood parasites roadrunners: zygodactyl foot (X print), limited flight, mostly runs (~20mph)

casuariiformes

emu and cassowaries (4 species), New Guinea region, large, flightless ostrich-like birds, 3 toes, emu=plains & open country, cassowary=dense brush & forest, omnivores, but mainly fruit diet, males incubate and raise chicks alone, cassowaries have colorful bony casque on top of head, cassowaries have killed many humans by disemboweling them with powerful kicks with their large claws

falconiformes

falcons (67 species) not closely related to other raptors, diurnal, predatory birds with sharply decurved beaks and talons, generally kill with bill rather than feet, female is larger than the male

phoenicopteriformes

flamingos (6 species) tropics, bill bent, lamellate for filter feeding, pink plumage, color intensity dependent on diet, colonial, cone-shaped mud nests, 1 egg, feed crop "milk" to young

suliformes

frigatebirds, cormorants, anhingas, boobies (61 species) primarily fish-eaters specially adapted for life in the water or air, most feed on the open ocean

podicipediformes

grebes (23 species) worldwide distribution, have lobed, rather than webbed feet, have relatively small, pointed bills and no visible tail, either dive from the water's surface with a quick forward leap of sink like a submarine, feed on small crustaceans, insects, and fish, all young birds are carried on the adult's backs. Most build floating nest platforms of aquatic weeds, elaborate courtship.

opisthocomiformes

hoatzin (1 species) one of the most ancient living bird lineages, N. and Central America, giant crop, eats young leaves and buds, awkward flier and clumsy, young retain claws and can swim if threatened

brucerotiformes

hornbills, hoopoes, wood hoopoes (74 species) hornbills: Africa and Asia, named for giant bill used for probing for food, mutualism with mongoose hoopoes: Afro-Eurasia, distinctive crown of feathers wood hoopoes: Africa, climb trees, hop rather than walk

pelecaniformes

ibis, herons, pelicans (118 species) worldwide aquatic, eat fish or squid, totipalmate feet, most nest in colonies, feet or facial skin may be colorful when breeding

coraciiformes

kingfishers, rollers, motmots, beeeaters, toadies (177 species)

apterygiformes

kiwis (5 species), New Zealand forests, flightless, nocturnal, single egg 1/3 of it's body mass, nostril at end of decurved bill, plumage is hair-like and fill a mammal-like niche, sister to emus/cassowaries

galliformes

landfowl (300 species), includes grouse, quail, guineafowl, megapode, forage on plant matter and some insects, they are usually quite secretive and often found in small flocks called coveys, explosive takeoff with stiff beats of rounded wings is characteristic, nests are shallow depressions made under cover, young are precocial, and gain flight feathers with a week.

gaviiformes

loons (5 species) holarctic in distribution, first 3 toes webbed, foot-propelled divers, predominantly fish diet, 2 dark spotted eggs, both parents care for young, nest close to open water on the ground

gruiformes

marshbirds (7 families, 189 species) Rails, flufftails, finfoots, cranes, limpkin, trumpeters, cots, terrestrial, aquatic, or marsh-dwelling, have strong, unwebbed or only slightly webbed toes, heard more often than seen, some species polyandrous

mesitornithiformes

mesites (3 species) sister to sandgrouse, pheasant-like, near-flightless birds endemic to madagascar

coliiformes

mousebirds (6 species) small, crested, African birds with dense gray or blown plumage and long, pointed tails, toes pamprodactyl, travel in small, tight flocks, often hand upside down from branches and can scurry about in bushes like mice

caprimulgiformes

nightjars, frogmouths, swifts, hummingbirds (604 species), nightjars, frogmouths nocturnal and very camouflaged, swifts and hummingbirds used to be in own order (apodiformes)

struthioniformes

ostriches (2 species), flightless, unique palate structure, no keel on sternum, ground-dwelling in Africa, largest/fastest 2-toed running bird (300Ilbs & 8 ft tall), lay large groups of eggs incubated by males

strigiformes

owls (243) primarily nocturnal predators, with hooked bills and sharp talons, their large eyes and facial discs help them locate prey in the dark, and their wings are modified to make little or no sound when flying. Most nest in cavities or old nests of other species in the tops of trees, distinctive calls

psittaciformes

parrots (398 species). sister group to passeriformes, have hooked bills with fleshy cere, upper mandible is movable, attached by a hinge-like articulation to the skull, tongue is fleshy, toes are zygodactyl, adapted for perching and climbing, most of the parrots and parakeets that are seen in the wild in temperate N. America are escaped cage birds and some species have established viable populations, cavity nesters, proportionately more endangered species than any other bird family.

sphenisciformes

penguins (18 species) southern hemisphere, have dense plumage, entire body is feathered (no feather tracts), flightless diving seabirds that use paddle-like wings for swimming, feet palmate, eat fish and crustaceans (krill), can dive to 800 m, biparental care, most lay single egg, colonial nesters, male emperor penguins incubate eggs on feet on ice sheets in middle of antarctic winters, smallest living penguin (little blue penguin) has covered nares like birds in next order (procellariiformes) thought that penguins and procellariformes are derived from a common seabird ancestor

columbiformes

pigeons (343 species) (includes Dodo), plump birds with small heads, short legs covered with small, reticulate scales, fleshy cere at the base of the bill. Family Columbidae. Most pick food from the ground, walking with mincing steps and bobbing head, wild pigeons forage in treetops. Flight is strong and direct, and all species give low, cooing calls. Doves are usually found singly or in small groups, pigeons often in larger groups. Nest is flimsy platform of twigs, eggs placed on a cliff or horizontal tree branch

accipitriformes

raptors and New World Vultures (266 species) diurnal, predatory birds with sharply decurved beaks and talons, most species fall into one of the two distinct groups, depending on their body shape and feeding behavior, generally make nests of sticks and twigs located high in trees, in most species, the female is larger than the male

rheiformes

rheas (2 species), large flightless birds w/o keel, native to S. America, prefer open grassland habitats, spreads wing while running like sails, only have 3 toes

pterocliformes

sandgrouse (16 species), stocky, medium-sized, pigeon-like birds with short, feathered tarsi, small heads, a large crop, and chicken-like bills, occupy arid glasslands of the Old World, feed mostly on dry seeds, carry water in soaked breast feathers to cool hatchlings, young precocial

cariamiformes

seriamas (2 species) the seriemas are large, long-legged territorial birds that range from 70-90 cm. They live in grasslands, savanna, dry woodland and open forests of S. America, can only fly short distances, often run, second larges bird endemic to Neotropics

charadriiformes

shorebirds (383 species), sandpipers, plovers, phalaropes, jacanas, gulls, terns, auks gulls/terns: graceful fliers with long, pointed wings and webbed feet, usually associated with water, gulls are omnivorous and pick food items from land or water, terns plunge-dive for small fish, most lay 3 eggs, and nest in dense colonies

passeriformes

songbirds/perching birds 124 families and 6456 species. largest bird order (constitutes more than half the world's bird species) containing mainly small land birds, anisodactyl feet with an enlarged flexible hallux, most have complex syrinx musculature and superior vocalization abilities

cioniiformes

storkes (19 species) long-legged, long-neced birds that feed in shallow water or on land, many species breed colonially

eurypygiformes

sunbittern and kagu (2 species) sunbitten: central and S. America, terrestrial and inconspicuous Kagu: dense mountain forests of New Caladonia, almost flightless, unique nasal corns, shared incubation and parental care

tinamiformes

tinamous (47 species), relatinship in ratites uncertain, S. America, medium to large fowl-like birds with reduced keel, superficial resemblance to partridges, occur in heavy jungle, scrub, grasslands, eat seeds, fruit, extremely glossy eggs, males incubate and raise chicks alone

trogoniformes

trogons and quetzals (43 species) tropical and subtropical forest-dwelling birds with short bills, strongly arched culmens, and serrated edges on the upped mandibles, heterodactyl toes, tail is long, usually squared at tip

phaethontiformes

tropicbirds (3 species) neotropics: tropical, tern-like with long tail

procellariiformes

tube-nosed seabirds (147 species) petrels, shearwaters, albatrosses, worldwide, excrete salt from seawater through their tubular nostrils, amazing sense of smell, feed primarily on food at the surface of the sea, nest on cliffs

musophagiformes

turacos (23 species), includes plantan-eaters and go-away-birds (loeries), sub-Saharan Africa forests, woodland and savanna, weak flight, often have prominent crests and long tails, very pigmented

anseriformes

waterfowl (177 species), ducks, geese, swans, sister to galliformes, worldwide, mainly aquatic, 3 webbed toes, precocial young, bill generally lemellate or serrate, male waterfowl have penis, which is unique to that group

piciformes

woodpeckers & sapsuckers (445 species) cavity-nesting birds with zygodactyl feet, perch upright on vertical substrates (have stiffened tail feathers that function like a prop when in this position), peck into or flake away the bark of trees in search of insect larvae, sexes are often similar looking with the male also having patches of red or yellow