A Complete Guide to Bird Species: Get to Know Common Birds

There are many species of birds. According to classification, birds can be divided into three superorders, namely the Paleognathae, the Sphenisciformes, and the Neognathae. Birds of the Paleognathae are good at running but cannot fly, such as the ostrich; birds of the Sphenisciformes are good at swimming and diving but cannot fly, such as the penguin; birds of the Neognathae are birds with well-developed wings that can fly, such as the swan, hummingbird, magpie, crow, wild goose, parrot, and others.

1. Paleognathae: These are the largest extant birds, suited to a running lifestyle, and their distribution is limited to the Southern Hemisphere (Africa, the Americas, and southern Australia). It includes 5 orders: Struthioniformes, Rheiformes, Casuariiformes, Apterygiformes, and Tinamiformes.

Among them, Struthioniformes includes only 1 family and 1 genus, namely the genus Struthio, represented by the ostrich (also known as the African ostrich). Rheiformes has only 1 family, Rheidae, divided into two species: the greater rhea and the lesser rhea. Casuariiformes includes 2 families and 4 species, namely the cassowary, the single-wattled cassowary, the dwarf cassowary, and the emu. Apterygiformes has only 1 family, 1 genus, and 3 species, namely the brown kiwi (also known as the tokoeka), the little spotted kiwi (also known as the little spotted tokoeka), and the great spotted kiwi (also known as the great spotted tokoeka). Tinamiformes has 6 genera and 18 species, including the genus Rhynchotus (1 species), the genus Crypturellus (12 species), the genus Taoniscus (1 species), the genus Eudromia (2 species), and the genus Nothoprocta (2 species).

2. Sphenisciformes: They are usually regarded as a symbol of Antarctica, but the greatest variety of penguins is actually distributed in the southern temperate zone. It includes 6 genera and 18 species, namely the genus Aptenodytes (2 species), the genus Pygoscelis (3 species), the genus Eudyptes (6 species), the genus Megadyptes (1 species), the genus Eudyptula (2 species), and the genus Spheniscus (4 species).

Among them, the genus Aptenodytes contains the largest and most beautiful penguins, and they are the only birds that overwinter along the coast of the Antarctic continent, breeding in winter. The genus Pygoscelis contains the most numerous penguins, and large groups can be seen in Antarctica, roaming the waters with floating ice. The genus Eudyptes is the genus with the most species and the widest distribution among penguins; the genus Eudyptula contains the smallest penguins; the genus Spheniscus contains the penguins distributed farthest north.

3. Neognathae: This is the largest superorder in the class Aves, including the vast majority of extant birds. It can be roughly divided into 6 ecological groups, namely swimming birds, wading birds, songbirds, terrestrial birds, birds of prey, and climbing birds.

It includes 27 suborders, namely Gaviiformes, Podicipediformes, Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes, Ciconiiformes, Phoenicopteriformes, Anseriformes, Falconiformes, Galliformes, Opisthocomiformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes, Pterocliformes, Columbiformes, Psittaciformes, Cuculiformes, Strigiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Apodiformes, Coliiformes, Trogoniformes, Coraciiformes, Upupiformes, Bucerotiformes, Piciformes, and Passeriformes. Common species include the wild goose, duck, swan, eagle, falcon, vulture, chicken, quail, peacock, red-crowned crane, white crane, parrot, cuckoo, edible-nest swiftlet, swift, and others.