Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index The birds of Australasia include the following orders and families: Struthioniiformes Casuariidae: Three species of emu (two recently extinct), three species of cassowary. Struthionidae: the Ostrich (introduced to Australia, now feral) Dinornithidae: 11 species of moa, all extinct. Apterygidae: three species of kiwi. Podicipediformes Podicipedidae: grebes Sphenisciformes Spheniscidae: penguins Procellariiformes Diomedeidae: albatross Procellariidae: petrels and shearwaters Hydrobatidae: storm-petrels Pelecaniformes Pelecanidae: pelicans Anhingidae: darter Phalacrocoracidae: cormorants and shags Fregatidae: frigatebirds Phaethontidae: tropicbirds Ciconiiformes Ardeidae: herons and bitterns Ciconiidae: storks Threskiornithidae: ibises and spoonbills Phoenicopteriformes Phoenicopteridae: Greater Flamingo (very rare vagrant) Anseriformes Anseranatidae: Magpie Goose Anatidae: ducks and allies Falconiformes (see raptor) Accipitridae: eagles, hawks, and allies, including the Wedge-tailed Eagle Falconidae: falcons, Nankeen Kestrel, and Australian Hobby Galliformes Megapodiidae: Scrubfowl, Malleefowl and Australian Brush-turkey Odontophoridae: California Quail Phasianidae: peafowl, Chukar, and quail Gruiformes Gruidae: Saurus Cane and Brolga Rallidae: Crakes, railss, native-hens and coots. Otidae: Australian Bustard Charadriiformes Pedionomidae: Plains Wanderer Rostratulidae: painted snipe Jacanidae: jacanas Chironididae: sheathbills Burhindae: stone-curlewss Haematopodidae: oystercatchers Recurvirostridae: stilts Charadriidae: plovers, dotterels and lapwings Scolopacidae: snipe, sandpipers and phalaropes Glareolidae: pratincoles Laridae: skuas, terns, jaegers and gulls Columbiformes Columbidae: doves and pigeons, including the several bronzewing pigeons Psittaciformes Cacactuidae: cockatoos Psittacidae: parrots, including the Paradise Parrot Cuculiformes Cuculidae: cuckoos Centropodidae: Pheasant Coucal Strigiformes Strigidae: owls, including the Southern Boobook Tytonidae: barn owls Caprimulgiformes Podargidae: frogmouths Caprimulgidae: nightjars Aegothelidae: Australian Owlet-nightjar Coraciiformes Alcedinidae: river kingfishers Halcyonidae: tree kingfishers, notably the two kookaburras. Meropidae: Rainbow Bee-eater Coraciidae: Broad-billed Roller and Dollarbird Passeriformes: suborder Tyranni ("suboscines") Tyrannidae: tyrant flycatchers Acanthisittidae: New Zealand wrens Pittidae: pittas Passeriformes: suborder Passeri ("oscines"), parvorder Corvidia Menuridae: lyrebirds Atrichomithidae: scrub birds Climacteridae: Australian treecreepers Maluridae: fairy-wrens, emu-wrens and grasswrens Meliphagidae: honeyeaters and chats Pardalotidae: pardalotes, scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones Petroicidae: Australian robins, including the Scarlet Robin Orthonychidae logrunners Pomatostomidae Australasian babblers Cinclosomatidae: whipbirds and allies Neosittidae: Varied Sittella Pachycephalidae: whistlers, shrike-thrushes, pitohuis and allies Dicruridae: monarch flycatchers, flycatchers, fantails. the Magpie-lark and the drongos. Includes the Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail Campephagidae: cuckoo shrikes and trillers Oriolidae: orioles, Figbird Artamidae: wood swallows, butcherbirds, currawongs and Australian Magpie Puidisaeidae: birds of paradise Corvidae: Rook, Australian Raven, Forest Raven, Little Raven, Little Crow and Torresian Crow Corcoracidae: the White-winged Chough and the Apostlebird Laniidae: shrikes (rare vagrants) Passeriformes: suborder Passeri ("oscines"), parvorder Passerida Ptilonorhynchidae: bowerbirds Turnagridae: Piopio Alaudidae: larks Motacillidae: wagtails and pipits Prunellidae: Dunnock (introduced) Passeridae: sparrows and Australian finches Fringillidae: true finches Emberizidae: buntingss and American sparrows Nectarinfidae: sunbirds Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers Hirundinidae: swallows and martins Pycrionotidae: bulbuls Sylviidae: Old World warblers Zosteropidae: White-eyes, including the Silvereye Muscicapidae: Old World flycatchers, thrusheses and the introduced Common Blackbird Sturnidae: starlings (mostly introduced) The final decades of the 20th century saw a massive increase in the information available to taxonomists, particularly through the DND-DNA hybridisation studies of Charles Sibley and colleagues. As a result, much revision of the traditional classifications has taken place. The family listing above follows the current official list from the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Several well-known families have been reclassified in recent years, among them: The Dromaiidae (emus) which are now part of Casuariidae. The Ephthianuridae (Australian chats) which are clearly honeyeaters and part of the Meliphagidae. The Acanthizidae which are now lumped with the Pardalotes and form part of the Pardalotidae. (The pardalotes may at some time be split off again, in which case "Acanthizidae" will apply to the remainder once again.) The Grallinidae (Magpie-lark and Torrent Lark) which are part of the Dicruridae. See also: Australian birds New Zealand birds European birds British birds This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.