Birds: Information & Taxonomy

A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).  A welcome sight in late fall and winter for the North American birdwatcher.

Birdwatching is a certainly an enjoyable and easy pasttime to pursue.  Especially as the bite of winter closes in on us, and most animals and plants go dormant, the activity and color of birds is rather pleasant to observe.

I present here two items that might be of particular interest for those in North America.  First, a link to an excellent resource: http://www.audubonbirds.org/

Second, here is a brief taxonomic list of those families most commonly observed in this continent, with a few example species noted:

Kingdom Animalia

PHYLUM CRANIATA or CORDATA

Subphylum Vertebrata

• Class Aves [Birds]
• Order Pelicaniformes [Pelicans & Cormorants]
• Family Pelecanidae [Pelicans]
• Family Phalacrocoracidae [Cormorants]
• Order Ciconiiformes [Storks & Heron]
• Order Anseriformes [Waterfowl; Ducks, Geese]
• Family Anseridae [Geese]
• Family Anatinae [Marsh Ducks]
• Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
• Order Falconiformes [Birds of Prey; Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Vultures]
• Family Cathartidae [New World Vultures]
• Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
• Family Accipitrinae [Hawks & Eagles]
• Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
• Family Pandionidae [Osprey]
• Family Falconidae [Falcons]
• Order Galliformes [Fowl; Grouse, Turkey, Chickens, Pheasants]
• Family Phasianidae [Pheasant & Quail]
• Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
• Family Meleagrididae [Turkey]
• Order Charadriiformes [Gulls, Terns, Plovers, Sandpipers]
• Family Laridae [Gulls & Terns]
• Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
• Order Columbiformes [Doves; Pigeons]
• Family Columbidae
• Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
• Order Cuculiformes [Cuckoos]
• Order Strigiformes [Owls]
• Family Strigidae
• Barred Owl (Strix varia)
• Order Caprimulgiformes [Nightjars; Nighthawks, Whip-poor-wills]
• Order Apodiformes [Swifts & Hummingbirds]
• Order Piciformes [Woodpeckers]
• Family Picidae
• Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
• Order Passeriformes [Songbirds]
• Family Tyrranidae [Kingbirds & Flycatchers]
• Family Hirundinidae [Swallows]
• Family Corvidae [Ravens, Crows & Jays]
• Family Troglodytidae [Wrens]
• Family Turdidae [Thrushes; Robins, Bluebirds]
• Family Parulidae [Warblers]
• Family Icteridae [Blackbirds & Orioles]
• Family Emberizidae [Finches & American Sparrows]
• Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Live well.