Vorstman's Guide to the Birds of the Andes and West Coast

The tree works down layer by layer: from the main branches of the bird tree through ever smaller clades to orders, families and species. Every clade has a name — some familiar, some only coined in 2024. Where the genetic support is weak, it says so.

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• Birds Aves

  2792 species

  • Ratites and tinamous Palaeognathae

    The oldest branch of modern birds, standing opposite all other birds together. In South America represented by the rheas and the tinamous, the most numerous group in this branch. 37 species

    • Rheas Rheiformes 2 species
      Rheas Rheidae 2
    • Tinamous Tinamiformes 35 species
      Tinamous Tinamidae 35

  • Birds with a flexible palate Neognathae

    2755 species

    • Fowl Galloanserae

      With the gamebirds, the oldest branch of modern birds apart from the ratites. 91 species

      • Waterfowl Anseriformes 42 species
        Screamers Anhimidae 3Ducks, swans and geese Anatidae 39
      • Gamebirds Galliformes 49 species
        Guans, curassows and chachalacas Cracidae 37New World quail Odontophoridae 11Partridges, pheasants, grouse and allies Phasianidae 1

    • All other modern birds Neoaves

      Nineteen out of twenty bird species belong here; the group fanned out rapidly after the mass extinction 66 million years ago. 2664 species

      • Flamingos and grebes Mirandornithes

        The first branch of Neoaves: two groups that look nothing alike yet are each other's closest relatives; in this guide represented only by the flamingos. 13 species

        • Flamingos Phoenicopteriformes 4 species
          Flamingos Phoenicopteridae 4
        • Grebes Podicipediformes 9 species
          Grebes Podicipedidae 9

      • Doves, turacos and allies Columbaves

        Doves and sandgrouse alongside bustards, turacos and cuckoos. 72 species

        • Bustards, turacos and cuckoos Otidimorphae

          The turacos stand opposite bustards and cuckoos together; the branches follow one another so closely that their order differs between studies. 22 species

          • Cuckoos Cuculiformes 22 species
            Cuckoos Cuculidae 22

        • Doves and sandgrouse Columbimorphae

          Sandgrouse of the dry plains alongside the pigeons and doves; two groups that are each other's closest relatives. 50 species

          • Pigeons and doves Columbiformes 50 species
            Doves and pigeons Columbidae 50

      • Birds of the elements Elementaves

        Newly named in 2024, after birds that excel in earth, air, water and sun. Support for this branch is reasonable but not equally strong in every analysis. 534 species

        • Cranes and waders Gruimorphae

          Rails and cranes form one branch with all waders, gulls and terns — plus the hoatzin, the least certain position in the whole tree. 160 species

          • Hoatzin Opisthocomiformes 1 species
            Hoatzin Opisthocomidae 1
          • Cranes, rails and allies Gruiformes 40 species
            Trumpeters Psophiidae 2Limpkin Aramidae 1Finfoots Heliornithidae 1Rails, gallinules and coots Rallidae 36
          • Waders, gulls and terns Charadriiformes 119 species
            Thick-knees and stone-curlews Burhinidae 3Stilts and avocets Recurvirostridae 3Oystercatchers Haematopodidae 2Plovers and lapwings Charadriidae 16Seedsnipes Thinocoridae 3Jacanas Jacanidae 2Sandpipers and allies Scolopacidae 42Jaegers and skuas Stercorariidae 5Skimmers, noddies, terns and gulls Laridae 42Painted-snipes Rostratulidae 1

        • Tropicbirds and waterbirds Phaethoquornithes

          The waterside in its broadest sense: from tropicbirds far out at sea to herons in the reeds. 98 species

          • Tropicbirds and sunbittern Phaethontimorphae

            A small, ancient branch; the study could not rule out that it belongs elsewhere in the tree. 2 species

            • Sunbittern and Kagu Eurypygiformes 1 species
              Sunbittern Eurypygidae 1
            • Tropicbirds Phaethontiformes 1 species
              Tropicbirds Phaethontidae 1

          • Core waterbirds Aequornithes

            Penguins, storks, cormorants and herons; with tropicbirds and sunbittern they form Phaethoquornithes. 96 species

            • Penguins Sphenisciformes 3 species
              Penguins Spheniscidae 3
            • Tubenoses Procellariiformes 38 species
              Albatrosses Diomedeidae 5Southern storm petrels Oceanitidae 4Northern storm petrels Hydrobatidae 7Petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels Procellariidae 22
            • Storks Ciconiiformes 3 species
              Storks Ciconiidae 3
            • Gannets and cormorants Suliformes 13 species
              Frigatebirds Fregatidae 2Boobies and gannets Sulidae 6Anhinga and darters Anhingidae 1Cormorants and shags Phalacrocoracidae 4
            • Pelicans, herons and ibises Pelecaniformes 39 species
              Ibises and spoonbills Threskiornithidae 12Pelicans Pelecanidae 3Herons, egrets and bitterns Ardeidae 24

        • Nightjars and swifts Strisores

          Aerial insect-eaters with a short bill and a huge gape. 276 species

          • Nightjars Caprimulgiformes 27 species
            Nightjars and nighthawks Caprimulgidae 27
          • Oilbirds Steatornithiformes 1 species
            Oilbird Steatornithidae 1
          • Potoos Nyctibiiformes 7 species
            Potoos Nyctibiidae 7
          • Swifts Apodiformes 241 species
            Swifts Apodidae 21Hummingbirds Trochilidae 220

      • Landbirds Telluraves

        The great branch of raptors, owls, woodpeckers, falcons and passerines. 2045 species

        • Raptors, owls, kingfishers and woodpeckers Afroaves

          The branch where diurnal raptors and owls meet the colourful array of mousebirds, trogons, hornbills and woodpeckers. 295 species

          • Hawks and owls Hieraves

            Whether owls really are the sister group of the diurnal raptors is still contested: the genes are almost evenly split. 100 species

            • Owls Strigiformes 38 species
              Bay owls and barn owls Tytonidae 1Owls Strigidae 37
            • New World vultures Cathartiformes 6 species
              New World vultures Cathartidae 6
            • Birds of prey Accipitriformes 56 species
              Ospreys Pandionidae 1Kites, Old World vultures, eagles and hawks Accipitridae 55

          • Mousebirds, rollers and woodpeckers Coraciimorphae

            The mousebirds, the only bird order confined to Africa, form the first branch; the rest is called Cavitaves. 195 species

            • Trogons and cavity nesters Cavitaves

              Nearly all birds of this branch nest in a cavity, in a tree or in a bank; the trogons branch off first. 195 species

              • Trogons Trogoniformes 18 species
                Trogons Trogonidae 18

              • Hornbills, kingfishers and woodpeckers Picocoraciae

                With hoopoes and hornbills branching off first; the rest is called Picodynastornithes. 177 species

                • Kingfishers, bee-eaters and woodpeckers Picodynastornithes

                  Cavity nesters that excavate their own nest, in a bank or in wood. 177 species

                  • Kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers Coraciiformes 13 species
                    Motmots Momotidae 7Kingfishers Alcedinidae 6
                  • Jacamars and puffbirds Galbuliformes 51 species
                    Jacamars Galbulidae 17Puffbirds Bucconidae 34
                  • Woodpeckers and allies Piciformes 113 species
                    New World barbets Capitonidae 14Toucan-barbets Semnornithidae 1Toucans Ramphastidae 32Woodpeckers Picidae 66

        • Falcons, parrots and passerines Australaves

          The surprise of the modern tree: falcons belong here, not with the hawks. 1750 species

          • Falcons and passerines Eufalconimorphae

            The falcons branch off first; parrots and passerines remain together as Psittacopasserae. 1750 species

            • Seriemas Cariamiformes 2 species
              Seriemas Cariamidae 2
            • Falcons Falconiformes 21 species
              Falcons and caracaras Falconidae 21

            • Parrots and passerines Psittacopasserae

              Two groups with each their own form of intelligence: learning to sing and learning to talk. 1727 species

              • Parrots Psittaciformes 87 species
                African and New World parrots Psittacidae 87
              • Passerines Passeriformes 1640 species
                Sapayoa Sapayoidae 1Manakins Pipridae 37Cotingas Cotingidae 44Tityras, becards and allies Tityridae 26Sharpbill Oxyruncidae 1Royal flycatchers and allies Onychorhynchidae 5Tyrant flycatchers and allies Tyrannidae 301Crescentchests Melanopareiidae 4Gnateaters Conopophagidae 5Antbirds Thamnophilidae 166Antpittas Grallariidae 56Tapaculos Rhinocryptidae 41Antthrushes Formicariidae 10Ovenbirds and woodcreepers Furnariidae 216Shrike-babblers, Erpornis and vireos Vireonidae 30Crows, jays and magpies Corvidae 12Larks Alaudidae 1Donacobius Donacobiidae 1Swallows Hirundinidae 28Waxwings Bombycillidae 1Gnatwrens and gnatcatchers Polioptilidae 9Wrens Troglodytidae 50Mockingbirds and thrashers Mimidae 10Dippers Cinclidae 2Thrushes and allies Turdidae 39Munias, parrotfinches, waxbills and allies Estrildidae 2Snowfinches and Old World sparrows Passeridae 1Wagtails and pipits Motacillidae 8Finches, euphonias and allies Fringillidae 31Thrush-tanager Rhodinocichlidae 1New World sparrows Passerellidae 59New World blackbirds, troupials and allies Icteridae 56New World warblers Parulidae 66Cardinals and allies Cardinalidae 27Mitrospingid tanagers Mitrospingidae 2Tanagers and allies Thraupidae 291

Source of the arrangement: The arrangement and sequence of orders, families, genera and species follow AviList; the clades above them follow the family-level genome tree of the B10K project and carry names from the PhyloCode. AviList v2025b · Stiller et al. 2024, Nature 629, 851-860 (B10K)

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