Types of Birds - Avian Orders

Common Name: Loons

Scientific Name: Gaviiformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 5

Description: This small avian order contains just one family – Gaviidae with 5 species, all found in the U.S. and Canada. Loons hunt for fish by diving and swimming after them. Loons have large pointed bills that are held at a slight upwards angle while swimming above water. They have stubby tails and large webbed feet set far back on the bodies. Loons nest on banks of ponds or lakes.
Example: Common Loon (Gavia immer).

Common Name: Pigeons and Doves

Scientific Name: Columbiformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 14

Description: Pigeons and doves are plump, fast fliers, with fan-like or long and pointed tails. They primarily forage for seeds or fruit on the ground or in shrubs. Pigeons and doves are noted for bobbing their heads when they walk. Pigeon and dove nests are low-profile masses of twigs placed on a horizontal branch or ledge.
Example: Rock Dove (Columba livia).

Common Name: Parrots

Scientific Name: Psittaciformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 1

Description: Parrots are brightly-colored, short-necked birds with broad wings, short tails, and hooked bills. Their feet are zygodactyl – meaning they have two front toes and two back toes. They can be noisy and very gregarious. The only native, extant parrot is the Thick-billed Parrot, a rare visitor to Arizona and New Mexico from the south. Up to 65 different species of parrots have been seen in the U.S. and Canada, but most are escaped pets. A few of these exotic species, such as the White-fronted Parrot, have managed to establish breeding populations.
Example: Thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhynca).

Common Name: Cuckoos

Scientific Name: Cuculiformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 6

Description: Cuckoos are slender, long-tailed birds with zygodactyl feet (two front and two back toes) consisting of three distinct groups of birds. Birds in the Family Cuculidae (Cuckoos) forage in dense trees and shrubs for invertebrates, and have smooth flight. Anis forage in weedy or brushy areas for insects or fruit, and their flight is weak. The Greater Roadrunner hunts lizards and other small animals in arid lands and open forests. All cuckoo species build flimsy nest platforms in shrubs or small trees.
Example: Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus).

Common Name: Owls

Scientific Name: Strigiformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 19

Description: Owls are mostly nocturnal hunters of small animals and insects. Owls have extremely sensitive hearing, which they use to locate prey. They have large, immobile eyes, hooked bills, and large talons that also help make them great hunters. Owls do not build nests, instead using natural or man-made cavities or the abandoned nests of crows or ravens.
Example: Great-horned Owl (Bubo virginianus).

Common Name: Nightjars and relatives

Scientific Name: Caprimulgiformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 8

Description: Nightjars are cryptically-colored birds with long, pointed wings. Nightjars roost on the ground or in low branches during the day. At night, they forage for aerial insects using their extra-wide mouths.
Example: Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor).

Common Name: Swifts and hummingbirds

Scientific Name: Apodiformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 26

Description: Swifts are rapidly flying birds with long, narrow wings. Swifts spend most of their time aloft foraging for aerial insects. Swifts roost and nest on vertical walls out of view, including chimneys and hollow trees. Hummingbirds are tiny, colorful birds with long bills and short tails. Hummingbirds use their ability to hover in order to sip flower nectar – their primary food item. Hummingbirds construct small nests from spider webs and place them on horizontal branches.
Example: Annas Hummingbird (Calypte anna).

Common Name: Trogons

Scientific Name: Trogoniformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 2

Description: Trogons are brightly colored tropical birds with short, wide bills, small feet, and long, squared-off tails. They perch quietly with their tails pointed straight down, but they also make sudden short flights to consume insects or berries. Trogons nest in natural tree cavities.
Example: Elegant Trogon (Trogon elegans).

Common Name: Rollers, kingfishers and relatives

Scientific Name: Coraciiformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 3

Description: Kingfishers are small fish-eating birds with large heads, large bills, and small feet. Kingfishers hunt for small fish by hovering or perching from low branches or human-made structures near lakes, streams, rivers, and coastal waters. Kingfishers nest in burrows that they excavate in river banks.
Example: Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon).

Common Name: Woodpeckers, toucans and relatives

Scientific Name: Piciformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 22

Description: Woodpeckers forage for insects hidden under tree bark. They use their stiff tail feathers as props, along with their strong legs to climb tree trunks. They have sharp, chisel-like bills for locating insects under tree bark, excavating nest holes, and drumming territorial signals to their competitors. There are no native toucans in the U.S. or Canada.
Example: Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus).

Common Name: Perching Birds

Scientific Name: Passeriformes
# Species in U.S. & Canada: 334

Description: This avian order comprises almost 60% of all avian species, and thus it is difficult to briefly summarize such an extense of avian diversity. Strictly speaking, passerines (also known as the perching birds) are characterized by three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing backwards. All passerines in the U.S. and Canada, except members of the Family Tyrannidae, are considered songbirds. Songbirds are noted for their ability to produce complex vocalizations, otherwise known as birdsong.
Example: Say's Phoebe (Sayornis saya).