Introduction
Birds are warm-blooded, feathered, egg-laying vertebrates that are found in almost all the ecosystems of the world. Their feathers help them to fly, and to stay warm and dry. The feathers also play an important role in mating and reproduction of several bird species. Birds need large amounts of energy to fly. Members of the bird family have a horny beak that helps them to eat often, and their bodies quickly burn the food to generate energy for their flight.
They can use the heat generated from their cells to maintain a constant body temperature. There are other features that differentiate birds from other animals. Their light bodies and increased heart rate also facilitate flying. Even flightless birds such as ostriches had ancestors that could fly. Like their ancestors, the reptiles, birds also reproduce by laying eggs. The eggs of a bird have a hard shell and an amniotic fluid. They build nests to keep their eggs safe and warm until they hatch.
Scientists have identified about 10,000 different species within the bird family. They vary in color, shape and size. While a humming bird weighs about 1.6g, certain species of ostrich can weigh up to 125 kg. The bird family has been classified into four non-scientific categories: flightless birds, water birds, prey birds and perching birds. Scientifically, taxonomists have classified birds into 28 different orders based on their evolution, similarities and dissimilarities. Characteristics such as the type of beak and jaw, and length of the tail are often used to classify birds into different species. Recent molecular data based on the DNA analysis is giving a clearer picture of the evolution of various bird species.
According to the book “Bird Families of the World,” there are 235 different families of birds across the world. Scientists and amateur bird watchers use this exhaustive list to identify and study the birds in their area. The families are broadly divided into Non-Passerine families, which include bird families such as Struthionidae, Falconidae and Gruidae. The Passerine families include Oxyruncidae, Turdidaelaniidae. Each bird family may, further consist of one or many species of birds. For example, Struthinodae consists of only a single species of ostrich, but the Falconidae family is made up of 63 different species of falcons and caracaras.
Tips and comments
The barbet species are classified under several bird families based on the areas where they are found. While the Asian barbets belong to the bird family of Megalaimidae, the African barbets are classified under the Lybiidae family. The American barbets belong to the Capitonidae family.
The Passerine bird families such as Laniidae are made up of 30 different species of shrikes. Artamidae family consists of 11 species of woodswallows extending from Asia to Australia. Although, various species of birds have been classified under different bird families, you should remember that the species are constantly evolving. Hence, birds belonging to one family may not fit into that category after a few decades. Researchers also debate over the important characters or features that should be used to classify species under various bird families. New research will always impact the existing classification.
