TAXONOMIC GUIDE
Bird Families
A family groups closely related genera that share a common ancestor — such as all kingfishers (Alcedinidae) or all penguins (Spheniscidae). The world’s birds fall into about 250 families; Aviora covers of them.
HOW CLASSIFICATION WORKS
Kingdom → Species
Every bird sits in a nested hierarchy: Kingdom Animalia → Phylum Chordata → Class Aves → Order → Family → Genus → Species. The scientific name combines genus and species, e.g. Alcedo atthis for the Common Kingfisher.
Modern classification uses DNA as well as anatomy. Studies over the past two decades showed, for example, that falcons are more closely related to parrots than to hawks, and that flamingos’ closest relatives are grebes.
See all orders of birds