science

List of birds

List of birds is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of birds rather than just read about it. In short: This article lists living orders and families of birds. In total there are about 11,000 species of birds described as of 2024, though one estimate of the real number places it at almost 20,000.

Key takeaways

List of birds belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of birds to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of birds from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

This article lists living orders and families of birds. In total there are about 11,000 species of birds described as of 2024, though one estimate of the real number places it at almost 20,000. The order passerines (perching birds) alone accounts for well over 5,000 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.

Phylogeny Cladogram of modern bird relationships based on Stiller et al (2024)., showing the 44 orders recognised by the IOC.

Subclass Palaeognathae The Palaeognathae or "old jaws" is one of the two superorders recognized within the taxonomic class Aves and consist of the ratites and tinamous. The ratites are mostly large and long-legged, flightless birds, lacking a keeled sternum. Traditionally, all the ratites were place in the order Struthioniformes. However, recent genetic analysis has found that the group is not monophyletic, as it is paraphyletic with respect to the tinamous, so the ostriches are classified as the only members of the order Struthioniformes and other ratites placed in other orders.

Order Struthioniformes

Africa; 2 species

Family Struthionidae: ostrich

Infraclass Notopalaeognathae

Order Rheiformes South America; 2 species

Family †Opisthodactylidae Family Rheidae: rheas

Order Casuariiformes Australasia; 4 species

Family Casuariidae: cassowaries and emu

Order Apterygiformes Australasia; 5 species

Family Apterygidae: kiwis

Order †Aepyornithiformes Madagascar

Family Aepyornithidae: elephant birds

Order †Dinornithiformes New Zealand

Family Megalapteryidae: upland moas Family Dinornithidae: great moas Family Emeidae: lesser moas

Order Tinamiformes South America; 45 species

Family Tinamidae: tinamous

Subclass Neognathae Nearly all living birds belong to the subclass Neognathae or "new jaws". With their keeled sternum (breastbone), unlike the ratites, they are known as carinatae.

Infraclass Galloanserae

Order Galliformes

Worldwide; 250 species

Family †Sylviornithidae Suborder Megapodii Family Megapodidae: megapodes Suborder Craci Family Cracidae: chachalacas, curassows, and guans Suborder Phasiani Superfamily Numidioidea Family Numididae: guineafowl Superfamily Phasianoidea: pheasants and allies Family Odontophoridae: New World quail Family Phasianidae: pheasants and relatives

Order †Gastornithiformes Family Gastornithidae (see Gastornis) Family Dromornithidae: mihirungs

Order Anseriformes Worldwide; 150 species

Family Anhimidae: screamers Family Anseranatidae: magpie-goose Family Anatidae: ducks, geese, and swans

Infraclass Neoaves

Superorder Mirandornithes

Order Podicipediformes Worldwide; 19 species

Family Podicipedidae: grebes

Order Phoenicopteriformes Worldwide; 6 species

Family †Palaelodidae: swimming flamingos Family Phoenicopteridae: flamingos

Superorder Columbimorphae

Order Columbiformes Worldwide; 300 species

Family Columbidae: pigeons and doves

Order Pterocliformes Africa, Europe, Asia; 16 species

Family Pteroclidae: sandgrouse

Order Mesitornithiformes Madagascar; 3 species

Family Mesitornithidae: mesites

Grandorder Strisores

Order Caprimulgiformes Worldwide; 97 species

Family Caprimulgidae: nightjars

Order Steatornithiformes South America; 1 species

Family Steatornithidae: oilbird

Order Nyctibiiformes Americas; 7 species

Family Nyctibiidae: potoos

Order Podargiformes

Asia and Australasia; 14 species

Family Podargidae: frogmouths

Order Aegotheliformes Australasia; 10 species

Family Aegothelidae: owlet-nightjars

Order Apodiformes Worldwide; 478 species

Family Hemiprocnidae: treeswifts Family Apodidae: swifts Family Trochilidae: hummingbirds

Grandorder Otidimorphae

Order Cuculiformes Worldwide; 150 species

Family Cuculidae: cuckoos and relatives

Order Musophagiformes Africa; 23 species

Family Musophagidae: turacos and relatives

Order Otidiformes Africa and Eurasia; 27 species

Family Otididae: bustards

Superorder Gruae

Order Opisthocomiformes South America; 1 species

Family Opisthocomidae: hoatzin

Order Gruiformes Worldwide; 164 species

Suborder Grui: cranes and allies Family Gruidae: cranes Family Aramidae: limpkin Family Psophiidae: trumpeters Suborder Ralli: rails and allies Family †Aptornithidae: adzebills Family Heliornithidae: finfoots Family Sarothruridae: flufftails Family Rallidae: rails and relatives

Order Charadriiformes Worldwide; 350 species

Suborder Charadrii Waders and typical shorebirds

Infraorder Chionida: thick-knees and allies Family Burhinidae: thick-knees and relatives Family Chionididae: sheathbills Family Pluvianellidae: Magellanic plover Infraorder Charadriida: plovers and plover-like waders Family Charadriidae: true plovers, dotterels, and lapwings Family Pluvialidae: golden plovers (sometimes classified as part of Charadriidae) Family Pluvianidae: Egyptian plover Family Ibidorhynchidae: ibisbill Family Haematopodidae: oystercatchers Family Recurvirostridae: avocets and stilts

Suborder Scolopaci Small gregarious waders, including sandpipers, woodcocks, curlews, snipes, and jacanas

Infraorder Jacanida: jacana-like waders Family Rostratulidae: painted snipes Family Jacanidae: jacanas Family Thinocoridae: seedsnipes Family Pedionomidae: plains-wanderer Infraorder Scolopacida Family Scolopacidae: sandpipers and relatives

Suborder Lari Gulls and allies

Infraorder Turnicida Family Turnicidae: buttonquail Infraorder Larida: gulls and allies Family Glareolidae: coursers and pratincoles Family Dromadidae: crab-plover Family Stercorariidae: skuas and jaegers Family Alcidae: auks and puffins Family Laridae: gulls, skimmers and terns

Grandorder Eurypygimorphae

Order Eurypygiformes Neotropics and New Caledonia; 2 species

Family Rhynochetidae: kagu Family Eurypygidae: sunbittern

Order Phaethontiformes Oceanic; 3 species

Family Phaethontidae: tropicbirds

Grandorder Aequornithes

Order Gaviiformes North America, Eurasia; 5 species

Family Gaviidae: loons

Order Sphenisciformes Antarctic and southern waters; 17 species

Family Spheniscidae: penguins

Order Procellariiformes Pan-oceanic; 120 species

Family Diomedeidae: albatrosses Family Oceanitidae: austral storm petrels Family Hydrobatidae: northern storm petrels Family Procellariidae: petrels and relatives

Order Ciconiiformes Worldwide; 19 species

Family Ciconiidae: storks

Order Suliformes Worldwide; 59 species

Suborder Fregatae Family Fregatidae: frigatebirds Suborder Sulae Family Sulidae: boobies and gannets Family Anhingidae: darters Family Phalacrocoracidae: cormorants and shags

Order Pelecaniformes

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of birds

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of birds claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of birds before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of birds ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of birds

In research: List of birds appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of birds in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of birds is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird families, Bird orders, Birds by classification, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of birds outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of birds in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of birds means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain List of birds out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of birds in simple terms?

This article lists living orders and families of birds. In total there are about 11,000 species of birds described as of 2024, though one estimate of the real number places it at almost 20,000.

Why does List of birds matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of birds?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of birds.