SPECIES OF BIRDS

 

 

• Birds are a class of animal that can be identified as having wings, beaks, feathers, and laying hard-shelled eggs. Some types of birds such as hummingbirds are tiny and can be as small as 2” (5 cm). At the other end of the scale, large flightless birds such as ostriches can be as tall as 9 ft. (2.75 m). All species of birds play an important role in their native habitats, and many people like to keep domestic birds as pets.
• All kinds of birds belong to the animal class Aves which is in the phylum Chordata. There are an estimated 18,000 species of birds and they live on all continents in the world. Birds are classified by the fact they are warm-blooded vertebrates, have 2 legs, feathers, wings, and bills. Because they don’t have mammary glands or give birth to their young, birds aren’t a type of mammal.

• Individual bird species are classified by the similarities they have with each other. For example, different types of birds have excellent navigation skills. Some migratory birds travel hundreds of thousands of miles every year to the same nesting site. Some species of birds are known by their chirping sounds or song-like melodies. Even some types of parrots and blue jays are expert at mimicking sounds and human language.

SOME TYPES OF BIRDS

1. SPARROWS

• The scientific name of this bird is Passerellidae. This bird’s name refers to the bird family that all species of sparrows belong to. Sparrows are a small type of brown or gray bird that look like finches. You can identify sparrows by the black streaked markings on their back, small chubby size, and round head. American tree sparrows (scientific name Spizelloides arborea) has a distinctive bicolored, conical bill.
• The common house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is commonly found in Europe. As with most species of sparrow, house sparrows are known for their chirping sounds and hopping behavior as they look for seeds and grains to eat.

2. HUMMING BIRDS

• The scientific name for the hummingbird is Trochilidae and they are some of the smallest birds on the planet.

• Hummingbirds get their name from sound their wings make, which can flap up to 80 times a second. Apart from their small size, one way to identify hummingbirds is by their bright iridescent colors on their throat and chest. Hummingbirds also have long skinny beaks that allow them to get nectar from plants. Most species of hummingbird migrate from North America south to Mexico and Central America.

3. PIGEONS

• Columbidae is the scientific name for birds commonly called pigeons or doves.
• There are over 310 species of pigeons divided into 42 genera. The domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) is one of the first types of bird that was ever domesticated. Pigeons are commonly found in cities and are a medium-sized bird weighing between 2 and 4 lb. (900 g – 2 kg). The smallest pigeons can be the size of a house sparrow and the largest species (crowned pigeon of New Guinea) can be almost the size of a turkey.

4. GEESE AND DUCKS

• Ducks and geese are types of waterfowl and are both in the family Anatidae. There are a number of species of geese and ducks in this family.
• The name “goose” actually refers to the female birds of the species and the name “gander” is the male birds. Geese are larger birds than ducks and they spend time on land as well as on water. The 3 genera of geese birds are the gray goose, black goose, and white goose.

5. WOODPECKERS

• Woodpeckers are a type of flying bird that has the scientific name Picidae.
• There are 35 genera of woodpeckers that include over 240 species of woodpecker bird. The most common type of woodpecker has black feathers with white markings near the neck. Many species of woodpecker have a striking red-colored crest on their black and white striped head. Some species of woodpecker have zebra-like markings on their wings and others have dark brown and tan stripes.

Made by Aditi Dwivedi

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