Vorstman's Guide to the Birds of the Caribbean

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.

Collapse all

• Birds Aves

  794 species

  • Ratites and tinamous Palaeognathae

    The oldest branch of modern birds, standing opposite all other birds together. In the Caribbean represented by the tinamous of Trinidad. 1 species

    • Tinamous Tinamiformes 1 species
      Tinamous Tinamidae 1

  • Birds with a flexible palate Neognathae

    793 species

    • Fowl Galloanserae

      With the gamebirds, the oldest branch of modern birds apart from the ratites. 40 species

      • Waterfowl Anseriformes 32 species
        Ducks and geese Anatidae 32
      • Gamebirds Galliformes 8 species
        Guans, chachalacas and curassows Cracidae 2Guineafowl Numididae 1New World quail Odontophoridae 2Pheasants and partridges Phasianidae 3

    • 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. 753 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. 3 species

        • Flamingos Phoenicopteriformes 1 species
          Flamingos Phoenicopteridae 1
        • Grebes Podicipediformes 2 species
          Grebes Podicipedidae 2

      • Doves, turacos and allies Columbaves

        Doves and sandgrouse alongside bustards, turacos and cuckoos. 47 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. 16 species

          • Cuckoos Cuculiformes 16 species
            Cuckoos Cuculidae 16

        • Doves and sandgrouse Columbimorphae

          Sandgrouse of the dry plains alongside the pigeons and doves; two groups that are each other's closest relatives. 31 species

          • Pigeons and doves Columbiformes 31 species
            Pigeons and doves Columbidae 31

      • Elementaves 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. 213 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. 99 species

          • Cranes, rails and allies Gruiformes 16 species
            Limpkin Aramidae 1Cranes Gruidae 1Rails and crakes Rallidae 14
          • Waders, gulls and terns Charadriiformes 83 species
            Stone-curlews Burhinidae 1Avocets and stilts Recurvirostridae 3Oystercatchers Haematopodidae 1Plovers and lapwings Charadriidae 11Jacanas Jacanidae 2Sandpipers and snipes Scolopacidae 30Skuas Stercorariidae 5Gulls and terns Laridae 30

        • Phaethoquornithes Phaethoquornithes

          The waterside in its broadest sense: from tropicbirds far out at sea to herons in the reeds. 51 species

          • Phaethontimorphae Phaethontimorphae

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

            • Tropicbirds Phaethontiformes 2 species
              Tropicbirds Phaethontidae 2

          • Core waterbirds Aequornithes

            Penguins, storks, cormorants and herons; with tropicbirds and sunbittern they form Phaethoquornithes. 49 species

            • Tubenoses Procellariiformes 11 species
              Southern storm petrels Oceanitidae 1Northern storm petrels Hydrobatidae 1Petrels and shearwaters Procellariidae 9
            • Storks Ciconiiformes 1 species
              Storks Ciconiidae 1
            • Gannets and cormorants Suliformes 9 species
              Frigatebirds Fregatidae 2Gannets and boobies Sulidae 4Darters Anhingidae 1Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae 2
            • Pelicans, herons and ibises Pelecaniformes 28 species
              Ibises and spoonbills Threskiornithidae 6Pelicans Pelecanidae 2Herons and bitterns Ardeidae 20

        • Strisores Strisores

          Aerial insect-eaters with a short bill and a huge gape. 63 species

          • Oilbird Steatornithiformes 1 species
            Oilbird Steatornithidae 1
          • Potoos Nyctibiiformes 2 species
            Potoos Nyctibiidae 2
          • Nightjars Caprimulgiformes 13 species
            Nightjars Caprimulgidae 13
          • Hummingbirds and swifts Apodiformes 47 species
            Swifts Apodidae 11Hummingbirds Trochilidae 36

      • Landbirds Telluraves

        The great branch of raptors, owls, woodpeckers, falcons and passerines. 490 species

        • Raptors, owls, kingfishers and woodpeckers Afroaves

          The branch where diurnal raptors and owls meet the colourful array of mousebirds, trogons, hornbills and woodpeckers. 83 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. 48 species

            • Owls Strigiformes 14 species
              Barn owls Tytonidae 2Typical owls Strigidae 12
            • New World vultures Cathartiformes 2 species
              New World vultures Cathartidae 2
            • Birds of prey Accipitriformes 32 species
              Ospreys Pandionidae 1Hawks, eagles and kites Accipitridae 31

          • Mousebirds, rollers and woodpeckers Coraciimorphae

            The mousebirds, the only bird order confined to Africa, form the first branch; the rest is called Cavitaves. 35 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. 35 species

              • Trogons Trogoniformes 5 species
                Trogons Trogonidae 5

              • Hornbills, kingfishers and woodpeckers Picocoraciae

                With hoopoes and hornbills branching off first; the rest is called Picodynastornithes. 30 species

                • Kingfishers, bee-eaters and woodpeckers Picodynastornithes

                  Cavity nesters that excavate their own nest, in a bank or in wood. 30 species

                  • Kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers Coraciiformes 11 species
                    Todies Todidae 5Motmots Momotidae 1Kingfishers Alcedinidae 5
                  • Jacamars and puffbirds Galbuliformes 1 species
                    Jacamars Galbulidae 1
                  • Woodpeckers and allies Piciformes 18 species
                    Toucans Ramphastidae 1Woodpeckers Picidae 17

        • Falcons, parrots and passerines Australaves

          The surprise of the modern tree: falcons belong here, not with the hawks. 407 species

          • Falcons and passerines Eufalconimorphae

            The falcons branch off first; parrots and passerines remain together as Psittacopasserae. 407 species

            • Falcons Falconiformes 8 species
              Falcons Falconidae 8

            • Parrots and passerines Psittacopasserae

              Two groups with each their own form of intelligence: learning to sing and learning to talk. 399 species

              • Parrots Psittaciformes 37 species
                Cockatoos Cacatuidae 2Parrots Psittacidae 33Old World parakeets Psittaculidae 2
              • Passerines Passeriformes 362 species
                Manakins Pipridae 3Cotingas Cotingidae 1Tityras and becards Tityridae 3Tyrant flycatchers Tyrannidae 66Typical antbirds Thamnophilidae 8Antthrushes Formicariidae 1Ovenbirds and woodcreepers Furnariidae 10Vireos Vireonidae 19Crows and jays Corvidae 6Swallows and martins Hirundinidae 16Palmchat Dulidae 1Waxwings Bombycillidae 1Kinglets Regulidae 1Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae 3Wrens Troglodytidae 8Mockingbirds and thrashers Mimidae 10Starlings Sturnidae 1Thrushes Turdidae 20Weavers Ploceidae 3Indigobirds and whydahs Viduidae 1Waxbills Estrildidae 10Sparrows Passeridae 1Wagtails and pipits Motacillidae 1Finches Fringillidae 9New World sparrows Passerellidae 9Chat-tanagers Calyptophilidae 2Hispaniolan tanagers Phaenicophilidae 4Puerto Rican tanager Nesospingidae 1Spindalises Spindalidae 4Cuban warblers Teretistridae 2New World blackbirds Icteridae 33New World warblers Parulidae 54Cardinals Cardinalidae 9Tanagers Thraupidae 41

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)

See all species →