Birds Flashcards
Large, flightless
Palaeognathae (ostrich, emu, kiwi)
Anterior toes lobed
Podicipediformes (grebes)
Three front toes webbed, tubular nostrils
Procellariformes (albatross, shearwater, fulmar, storm petrel)
All 4 toes joined in web
Pelacaniformes (pelicans, frigate bird, boobies, gannet)
Three front toes webbed, flattened bills w straining edges
Anseriformes (ducks, swans, geese)
Bill higher than wide, sharply pointed. Webbed feet well back on body
Gaviiformes (loons)
Heavy, sharp hooked beak, strong talons. Nostrils open in cere.
Falconiformes (hawks, eagles, vultures)
Stout legs w 4 toes. Bill short, curved. Tibia feathered completely.
Galliformes (pheasant, grouse, turkey)
Wading birds w relatively long legs. Middle toe not pectinate.
Gruiformes (cranes, coots)
Bill longer than head. Middle toe pectinate.
Ciconiiformes (herons, bitterns, ibises, flamingoes)
Shore birds. Without webbed feet, long legs, hind toe well developed. Bill as long or longer than head.
Charadrii (suborder) (snipe, woodcock, sandpipers, plovers)
Short legs. Webbed feet, hind toe small or lacking. Bill short and stout.
Larii (suborder) (gulls, terns)
Stocky marine birds. Webbed feet, lacking hind toe. Diving birds with legs far back on body.
Alcae (suborder) (auks, merres, puffins)
Small-headed, short-legged. Nostrils slit-like and covered with operculum.
Columbiformes (pigeons, doves)
Slender birds w long tails. Zygodactyl feet.
Cuculiformes (cuckoos, anis, roadrunners)
Strong, hooked beaks. Brightly coloured tropicals. Zygodactyl feet.
Psittaciformes (parrots, macaws, cockatoos)
Large heads, short necks, eyes fixed.
Strigiformes (owls)
Long primaries, short secondaries. Very short bill, wide gape.
Order Apodiformes; Family Apodidae (swifts)
Long, slender bills. Often metallic.
Order Apodiformes; Family Trochilidae (hummingbirds)
Large, spear-like beak. Small, syndactyl feet.
Coraciiformes (kingfishers, rollers, bee-eaters)
Strong, pointed bill. Stiff tail feathers. Zygodactyl feet.
Piciformes (woodpeckers)
Penguins
Sphenisciformes
Bill short, slightly hooked. Bristles prominent around mouth and eyes.
Caprimulgiformes (goatsuckers: nighthawks, whip-poor-wills)
Feet adapted for perching - 3 front toes and long rear toe.
Passeriformes (perching birds - “song birds”)
