-
Struthioniformes
- ostrich
- ethiopian (Africa)
- very large, ground-dwelling, flightless
- strong runners (up to 40+ mph)
- eat succulent plants, berries, seeds,
- some small vertebrates
- ♂♂ incubate eggs only at night;
- ♀♀ incubate day or night
-
Casuariiformes
- cassowary, emu
- australasian
- large, ground-dwelling, flightless
- cassowaries are forest dwellers;
- eat fruits and invertebrates
- ♂ cassowaries incubate eggs
- and care for young
- emus live in open, arid country;
- eat vegetation and some fruits
- ♂ emus incubate; both sexes
- care for young
-
Apterygiformes
- kiwis
- australasian (endemic to New Zealand; all endangered)
- small, ground-dwelling, flightless
- live in humid forests; nocturnal
- eat invertebrates, seeds, crayfish, some fruit
- produce extremely large eggs
- relative to body size
- ♂♂ incubate eggs; both sexes
- care for young
-
Tinamiformes
- tinamous
- neotropical
- ground-dwelling, poor flyers
- crepuscular
- eat fruits, seeds, insects
- lay glossy blue or green eggs
-
Rheiformes
- rheas
- neotropical (South America)
- large, ground-dwelling, flightless
- eat grass roots, seeds, insects, molluscs
- 20-30 eggs laid in common nest
- by several ♀♀; incubation and
- care of young by ♂♂
-
Anseriformes
- ducks, geese, swans
- cosmopolitan (aquatic)
- densely covered with down feathers
- palmate feet
- characteristic bill with sieve-like lamellae
- most species migratory; strong fliers
-
Galliformes
- fowl: grouse, quails, pheasants, and allies
- cosmopolitan
- can fly, but prefer to walk and run
- large, muscular gizzard to process seeds,
- tough plant material
- large clutches of eggs
-
Podicipediformes
- grebes
- cosmopolitan (aquatic)
- lobate toes
- legs placed posteriorly; adapted for efficient diving
- feed on freshwater insects and crustaceans
- many have elaborate courtship rituals
-
Phoenicopteriformes
- flamingos
- pantropical (aquatic)
- often stand on one leg – reason unknown
- bill adapted for filter-feeding on brine shrimp and blue-green algae
- congregate in massive colonies
-
Eurypigiformes
- sunbittern and kagu
- neotropical (sunbittern) and
- New Caledonia (kagu)
- forage for insects on ground
- in forest understory and along streams
-
Caprimulgiformes
- goatsuckers, nightjars, and allies
- cosmopolitan
- nocturnal or crepuscular
- very wide, gaping mouths; adapted to capture insects on the wing
- small, weak feet
- do not build a nest
-
Apodiformes
- swifts, hummingbirds)
- cosmopolitan (swifts) and North and South
- America (hummingbirds)
- very short humerus; tiny, very weak feet
- extremely maneuverable in flight
- swifts: wide mouth to capture insects on the wing
- hummingbirds: sip nectar
-
Phaethontiformes
- tropicbirds
- pantropical (pelagic)
- small, weak legs and feet
- feed on fish at ocean surface
- generally solitary, but breed in colonies
-
Pteroclidiformes
- sandgrouse
- Africa, Middle East, Southern Asia
- ground-dwelling
- inhabit treeless, open, dry country
- primarily consume seeds
-
Columbiformes
- pigeons, doves
- cosmopolitan
- muscular gizzard for grinding up
- seeds and fruit
- enlarged crop for storing food;
- produce ‘milk’ for nestlings
- loosely attached feathers
-
Opisthocomiformes
- hoatzin
- neotropical
- chicks possess claws on their wings
- feeds primarily on leaves
- enlarged crop for bacterial fermentation of vegetable matter
-
Musophagiformes
- turacos and allies
- African partly zygodactyl feet (4th toe forward or back)
- primarily arboreal, but weak fliers
- feed on mostly on fruits, but also arthropods and molluscs
- turacos have unique pigments
-
Gaviiformes
- loons
- holarctic (aquatic)
- legs placed posteriorly; adapted for efficient diving
- palmate feet
- feed on fish
-
Ciconiiformes
- storks
- cosmopolitan
- primarily wading birds, but frequent drier areas
- stout bills; feed on small vertebrates,
- arthropods, annelids
- frequently soar on thermals
-
Pelicaniformes
- pelicans, herons, ibises, egrets, and allies)
- cosmopolitan (aquatic)
- evolutionary relationships unclear
- pelicans have gular pouch to capture fish
- ibises probe mud for invertebrate prey
- herons and egrets capture fish and aquatic
- arthropods
-
Balaenicipitiformes
- shoebill
- African
- inhabits freshwater marshes
- exceptionally large feet to walk on
- floating vegetation
- massive, shoe-shaped bill used to capture fish, frogs, and snakes
-
Suliformes
- comorants, boobies,
- gannets, frigatebirds, and allies)
- cosmopolitan, coastal
- strong fliers
- totipalmate feet
- feed on fish by either diving from surface or the air
- breed in colonies
-
Sphenisciformes
- penguins
- antarctic and southern ocean distribution (pelagic)
- flightless, but retain keeled sternum
- wings modified into flippers
- palmate feet
- dense feathers, continuous over entire skin
- surface
- feed on fish
-
Procellariiformes
- petrels, albatrosses, shearwaters, and allies)
- cosmopolitan (pelagic)
- palmate feet
- hooked bill used to catch fish, squid, krill
- tubular nasal passages used for olfaction
- drink seawater; excrete salt via nasal glands
- breed colonially on remote islands
-
Cuculiformes
- cuckoos
- cosmopolitan
- zygodactyl feet (2 & 3 forward, 1 & 4
- back)
- typically long tails
- mostly arboreal, some terrestrial
- feed on arthropods and small vertebrates
- Old World cuckoos are brood parasites
-
Gruiformes
- coots, rails, cranes, limpkin, bustards, and allies
- cosmopolitan
- typically inhabit wet, marshy habitats;
- bustards in dry, open areas
- diverse forms; united by distinct skeletal features
- omnivorous diet
-
Charadriiformes
- shorebirds, gulls, terns, auks, and allies
- cosmopolitan (inland and coastal aquatic)
- diverse forms; united by distinct
- skeletal features
- shorebirds probe mud for invertebrates
- gulls/terns catch fish from surface water
- auks catch fish underwater
-
Coliiformes
- mousebirds
- African
- zygodactyl foot, but all four toes can point
- forward
- hairlike body feathers
- arboreal; scurry through leaves like rodents
- feed on berries and flowerbuds
-
Strigiformes
- owls
- cosmopolitan
- mostly arboreal
- hooked bill; claws modified into talons
- nocturnal birds of prey
- unique facial disk and ear arrangement
- silent fliers; mechanism unknown
-
Accipitriformes
- hawks, eagles, kites, vultures, and allies)
- cosmopolitan
- inhabit open country to dense forest
- hooked bill; claws modified into talons
- diurnal birds of prey or scavengers (vultures)
-
Trogoniformes
- trogons, quetzals
- pantropical (except Australia)
- arboreal; inhabit tropical forests
- short, broad bill for eating fruit
- short legs, weak feet
- heterodactyl foot (toes 3 & 4 forward, 1 & 2 back)
-
Upupiformes
- hoopoes, wood hoopoes
- African
- + 1 sp. in southern Eurasia
- inhabit open woodland, savannah, thornbrush
- arboreal
- strong decurved bill
- adapted to probe for insects
- in bark and rotten wood
-
Coraciiformes
- kingfishers, rollers, bee-eaters, motmots, and allies)
- cosmopolitan
- inhabit wide variety of habitats (diverse
- diets)
- syndactyl foot (toes 2 and 3 partially
- fused)
- typically nest in cavities (tree, termite nests, stream banks)
-
Piciformes
- woodpeckers, toucans, honeyguides, puffbirds, and allies)
- cosmopolitan
- arboreal (diet ranges from insects
- to fruit to small vertebrates)
- zygodactyl foot
- all nest in tree cavities
-
Falconiformes
- falcons, caracaras
- cosmopolitan
- inhabit open country to dense forest
- hooked bill; presence of ‘tooth’ on
- sides of maxilla
- claws modified into talons
- diurnal birds of prey
-
Psittaciformes
- parrots, macaws, lories, cockatoos, and allies
- pantropical
- hooked maxilla adapted for shredding fruit;
- also consume seeds, nuts, flower buds
- fleshy cere at base of maxilla
- zygodactyl feet
- gregarious; nest in tree cavities
-
Passeriformes
- perching birds
- anisodactyl foot (toes 1, 2, 3 forward, 4
- back)
- with large hallux (toe 4)
- extremely diverse: more than half of all bird species
- Suborder Tyranni (suboscines)
- mostly Neotropical
- weak syringeal musculature; simple, innate songs
- Suborder Passeri (oscines)
- cosmopolitan
- strong syringeal
- musculature; complex, learned songs
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