Vorstman's Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Central America

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

  1481 species

  • Ratites and tinamous Palaeognathae

    The oldest branch of modern birds, standing opposite all other birds together. In Central America represented by the tinamous. 6 species

    • Tinamous Tinamiformes 6 species
      Tinamous Tinamidae 6

  • Birds with a flexible palate Neognathae

    1475 species

    • Fowl Galloanserae

      With the gamebirds, the oldest branch of modern birds apart from the ratites. 72 species

      • Waterfowl Anseriformes 37 species
        Ducks, swans and geese Anatidae 37
      • Gamebirds Galliformes 35 species
        Guans, curassows and chachalacas Cracidae 10New World quail Odontophoridae 22Partridges, pheasants, grouse and allies 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. 1403 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. 7 species

        • Flamingos Phoenicopteriformes 1 species
          Flamingos Phoenicopteridae 1
        • Grebes Podicipediformes 6 species
          Grebes Podicipedidae 6

      • Doves, turacos and allies Columbaves

        Doves and sandgrouse alongside bustards, turacos and cuckoos. 51 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. 19 species

          • Cuckoos Cuculiformes 19 species
            Cuckoos Cuculidae 19

        • Doves and sandgrouse Columbimorphae

          Sandgrouse of the dry plains alongside the pigeons and doves; two groups that are each other's closest relatives. 32 species

          • Pigeons and doves Columbiformes 32 species
            Doves and pigeons Columbidae 32

      • 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. 345 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. 123 species

          • Cranes, rails and allies Gruiformes 25 species
            Limpkin Aramidae 1Cranes Gruidae 1Finfoots Heliornithidae 1Rails, gallinules and coots Rallidae 22
          • Waders, gulls and terns Charadriiformes 98 species
            Thick-knees and stone-curlews Burhinidae 1Stilts and avocets Recurvirostridae 2Oystercatchers Haematopodidae 2Plovers and lapwings Charadriidae 11Jacanas Jacanidae 2Sandpipers and allies Scolopacidae 32Jaegers and skuas Stercorariidae 4Auks, puffins and murres Alcidae 5Skimmers, noddies, terns and gulls Laridae 39

        • Tropicbirds and waterbirds Phaethoquornithes

          The waterside in its broadest sense: from tropicbirds far out at sea to herons in the reeds. 76 species

          • Tropicbirds and sunbittern Phaethontimorphae

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

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

          • Core waterbirds Aequornithes

            Penguins, storks, cormorants and herons; with tropicbirds and sunbittern they form Phaethoquornithes. 74 species

            • Loons Gaviiformes 3 species
              Loons Gaviidae 3
            • Tubenoses Procellariiformes 25 species
              Albatrosses Diomedeidae 2Southern storm petrels Oceanitidae 1Northern storm petrels Hydrobatidae 9Petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels Procellariidae 13
            • Storks Ciconiiformes 3 species
              Storks Ciconiidae 3
            • Gannets and cormorants Suliformes 14 species
              Frigatebirds Fregatidae 2Boobies and gannets Sulidae 7Anhinga and darters Anhingidae 1Cormorants and shags Phalacrocoracidae 4
            • Pelicans, herons and ibises Pelecaniformes 29 species
              Ibises and spoonbills Threskiornithidae 5Pelicans Pelecanidae 2Herons, egrets and bitterns Ardeidae 22

        • Nightjars and swifts Strisores

          Aerial insect-eaters with a short bill and a huge gape. 146 species

          • Oilbirds Steatornithiformes 1 species
            Oilbird Steatornithidae 1
          • Potoos Nyctibiiformes 3 species
            Potoos Nyctibiidae 3
          • Nightjars Caprimulgiformes 18 species
            Nightjars and nighthawks Caprimulgidae 18
          • Swifts Apodiformes 124 species
            Swifts Apodidae 16Hummingbirds Trochilidae 108

      • Landbirds Telluraves

        The great branch of raptors, owls, woodpeckers, falcons and passerines. 1000 species

        • Raptors, owls, kingfishers and woodpeckers Afroaves

          The branch where diurnal raptors and owls meet the colourful array of mousebirds, trogons, hornbills and woodpeckers. 177 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. 86 species

            • Owls Strigiformes 34 species
              Bay owls and barn owls Tytonidae 1Owls Strigidae 33
            • New World vultures Cathartiformes 5 species
              New World vultures Cathartidae 5
            • Birds of prey Accipitriformes 47 species
              Ospreys Pandionidae 1Kites, Old World vultures, eagles and hawks Accipitridae 46

          • Mousebirds, rollers and woodpeckers Coraciimorphae

            The mousebirds, the only bird order confined to Africa, form the first branch; the rest is called Cavitaves. 91 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. 91 species

              • Trogons Trogoniformes 15 species
                Trogons Trogonidae 15

              • Hornbills, kingfishers and woodpeckers Picocoraciae

                With hoopoes and hornbills branching off first; the rest is called Picodynastornithes. 76 species

                • Kingfishers, bee-eaters and woodpeckers Picodynastornithes

                  Cavity nesters that excavate their own nest, in a bank or in wood. 76 species

                  • Kingfishers, bee-eaters and rollers Coraciiformes 16 species
                    Motmots Momotidae 10Kingfishers Alcedinidae 6
                  • Jacamars and puffbirds Galbuliformes 12 species
                    Jacamars Galbulidae 3Puffbirds Bucconidae 9
                  • Woodpeckers and allies Piciformes 48 species
                    New World barbets Capitonidae 2Toucan-barbets Semnornithidae 1Toucans Ramphastidae 6Woodpeckers Picidae 39

        • Falcons, parrots and passerines Australaves

          The surprise of the modern tree: falcons belong here, not with the hawks. 823 species

          • Falcons and passerines Eufalconimorphae

            The falcons branch off first; parrots and passerines remain together as Psittacopasserae. 823 species

            • Falcons Falconiformes 14 species
              Falcons and caracaras Falconidae 14

            • Parrots and passerines Psittacopasserae

              Two groups with each their own form of intelligence: learning to sing and learning to talk. 809 species

              • Parrots Psittaciformes 38 species
                African and New World parrots Psittacidae 38
              • Passerines Passeriformes 771 species
                Sapayoa Sapayoidae 1Manakins Pipridae 11Cotingas Cotingidae 10Tityras, becards and allies Tityridae 13Sharpbill Oxyruncidae 1Royal flycatchers and allies Onychorhynchidae 4Tyrant flycatchers and allies Tyrannidae 110Gnateaters Conopophagidae 1Antbirds Thamnophilidae 30Antpittas Grallariidae 4Tapaculos Rhinocryptidae 3Antthrushes Formicariidae 4Ovenbirds and woodcreepers Furnariidae 44Shrike-babblers, Erpornis and vireos Vireonidae 30Shrikes Laniidae 1Crows, jays and magpies Corvidae 27Penduline tits Remizidae 1Tits, chickadees and titmice Paridae 5Larks Alaudidae 1Donacobius Donacobiidae 1Swallows Hirundinidae 17Tit-warblers, bushtits and long-tailed tits Aegithalidae 1Parrotbills and allies Paradoxornithidae 1Waxwings Bombycillidae 1Silky-flycatchers Ptiliogonatidae 4Kinglets Regulidae 2Nuthatches Sittidae 3Treecreepers Certhiidae 1Gnatwrens and gnatcatchers Polioptilidae 10Wrens Troglodytidae 52Mockingbirds and thrashers Mimidae 17Rhabdornis, starlings and mynas Sturnidae 1Dippers Cinclidae 1Thrushes and allies Turdidae 30Olive warbler Peucedramidae 1Munias, parrotfinches, waxbills and allies Estrildidae 2Snowfinches and Old World sparrows Passeridae 1Wagtails and pipits Motacillidae 4Finches, euphonias and allies Fringillidae 28Thrush-tanager Rhodinocichlidae 1Longspurs and snow buntings Calcariidae 3New World sparrows Passerellidae 72Wrenthrush Zeledoniidae 1Spindalises Spindalidae 1New World blackbirds, troupials and allies Icteridae 45New World warblers Parulidae 70Cardinals and allies Cardinalidae 35Mitrospingid tanagers Mitrospingidae 1Tanagers and allies Thraupidae 63

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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