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BIRD FAMILIES OF THE WORLD |
16th edition (B)
list last revised July 2019
this list has 259 extant families
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The purpose of Bird
Families of the World is as an aid to world birders who
want to maximize their enjoyment of avian diversity by observing examples
of as many bird families as is reasonable within the time and money
available for travel, and as a study tool for all interested
readers. This project began in 1999. Since then, molecur evidence has revised much of what was thought to be known about bird evolution and relationships.
It had been the 'wild wild West' for nearly two decades as new research was published but, perhaps, a greater degree of consensus is now being reached. While tracking proposed revisions to the list of bird families, I've advocated for more consistency in the use of evidence across bird families, at least within the passerines.
This July 2019 update provides only a few minor revisions from the Dec 2018 update that I called the 16th edition list. I think of this update as the 16th-B edition. For this 16th-B edition, the changes highlighted below bring the list to 259 extant families.
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This web project began on 9 Feb 1999 when I posted a short page on the Dulidae [Palmchat]. While the list of Bird Families has been regularly updated to accommodate new research through 14 editions, it was not until 17 years and a month [6238 days] that, with the posting of the Vireonidae [Vireos], the project finally has a web page with text and photos for every family. Many of the old pages badly need updating in both layout, text, and photos but at least the initial goal has been reached. The updating of old pages — including the Dulidae — will go on. I've used my own photos when I had them, but I'm very grateful to the many photographers around the world who've permitted me to use their wonderful shots when I needed them. – D. Roberson, 9 Mar 2016 |
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In putting together this list, I've been influenced by the Winkler et al. Bird Families of the World book (2015), the Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) project, updated decisions of the Clements world checklist, the IOC world checklist, the American Ornitholgocial Society's Check-list of North American Birds for Middle and North America (often called the AOU list, including in these pages), the South American Classification Committee checklist, and John Boyd's Avian Taxonomy in Flux. Research books include Christidis & Boles (2008) Systematics & taxonomy of Australian Birds and the Howard & Moore Checklist (4th ed., 2 vols).
[Full disclosure — I was a volunteer junior member of the Clements team (2011-2018) but I continue to depart from Clements for purposes of this project.]
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HIGHTLIGHTS OF CHANGES in this 16th edition (version B)
I make only one additional family change in this 16th-B edition: I resurrect the Rynchopidae (Skimmers) as a family based on the current SACC decision to retain the Skimmers as a family, and not merge them with the Laridae (Gulls and Terns). Some data suggest that noddies and White Tern are not within the traditional Terns (and might be entitled to Family status), so it is wisest to retain the Rynchopidae as a Family awaiting more research. In this way my list of bird families includes all the families currently accepted by either AOU or SACC.
I have revised the sequence of families to place the nine-primaried passerines last (ending with Tanagers) and resequencing the Passeroidea and the Corvoidea to follow the new 2019 Clements. This also brings this listing close to that in the AOU and SACC checklists.
HIGHTLIGHTS OF CHANGES in this 16th edition (version A)
There has been a trend towards higher numbers of Families in recent years — welcomed by some, criticized by others — and that has played havoc with longterm travel plans of (some) birders (like me). With recent decisions by the AOS-NACC, IOC, Clements, and Winkler et al. (2015), I finally accepted as a fait accompli the acceptance all the New World nine-primaried passerine families first proposed in Barker et al. (2013). This is with some reluctance, as I had hoped ornithologists could reach some reasonable standard by which families could be measured, perhaps something like a divergence date of 18-20 million years ago (mya) or greater for passerine families (and older dates for non-passerines). With these two splits, Puerto Rican Tanager [Nesospingidae], is split from the Spindalises, and Yellow-breasted Chat [Icteriidae], moves from a New World warbler to nearer the Icterids, making it the youngest family of all bird families at only about 11 mya. It also creates a formal family name [Icteriidae] that will be confused with that of the Orioles and allies [Icteridae].
Another new family is derived from Winkler et al. (2015) book on bird families: the Crested Jay Platylophus galericulatus of southeast Asia is remained and elevated to its own family Shrikejay [Platylophidae]. Recent genetic evidence suggested it is related to shrikes, not jays but its true level of divergence from shrikes is not yet clearly understood. Still, despite some uncertainty, Clements has adopted the split.
The AOU added a family in their July 2018 supplement, the Royal-flycatchers [Onychorhynchidae], following Ohlson et al. (2013). This group of six flycatchers in 3 genera are, along with Sharpbill, a sister taxa to all the rest of the tyrant-flycatchers. The AOU elevates this family now, although a number of world checklists are holding off until the results of a large project currently underway is published. There will probably be other families split off from the current Tyrannidae. I've also used the sequence of families adopted by AOU for the New World suboscines.
The final new family was proposed by Cai et al. (2019), elevating the babbler genus Alcippe from the Ground-Babbler family [Pellorneidae] on new genetic evidence. All the members of the genus are currently called "fulvettas," but there are other fulvettas in two other families, so this will cause confusion. For the moment I'll call them the Alcippe Fulvettas [Alcippeidae] but I hope taxonomists coin a better English names. When the Pnoepygidae was proposed a decade ago for a genus of birds then-called "wren-babblers," several authors (included me) suggested we adopt the name Cupwings (a translations of the generic name) and most world lists (e.g., Clements) did so. I'd like something better than "Alcippe Fulvettas" for these mostly southeast Asian small babblers.
Finally, I've adopted almost entirely the Clements/eBird sequence for the Bird Families of the World, except that I follow the AOU sequence of families in the New World suboscines.
Net result: + 6 families from 15th edition
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The newest Bird Families book [Winkler et al. 2015] has 243 families, and I now accept all of those. My list in this edition has 259 families, 15 more than the Bird Families book: Skimmers [split by SACC], Ground-Hornbills [also split by Clements, IOC], Old World Parrots & Lories [Psittaculidae; also split by Clements, IOC, AOU, SACC], Sharpbill [Oxyruncidae; split by SACC, Clements], Royal Flycatchers [split by AOU], Butcherbirds [Cracticidae split from Artamidae Woodswallows, adopted by Clements 2018], Shrike-babblers and Silktails [both splits recommended by Jønsson et al. (2016) on evidence of ancient divergences], Erpornis, Bristle-flycatchers [Erythrocercidae; also split by IOC], Hylias, Wallcreeper [Tichodromidae; also split by Clements, IOC], Parrotbills & allies [Paradoxornithidae; also split by Clements 2018], Cinnamon Ibon, and the Alcippe Fulvettas. In short, this Family list incorporates all of the extant families adopted by Clements, AOU, SACC, or IOC [except Bananaquit, which is a tanager; Burns et al. 2014]. |
My listing is of extant bird families. The Mohoidae, an endemic family from Hawaii that included 5 species in genus Moho and one in genus Chaetoptila that had traditionally been considered honeyeaters in the Meliphagidae. Genetic evidence proved they were not honeyeaters, but that they were related to silky-flycatchers, waxwings, and other bombycillids. The Mohoidae is now extinct, so it is not possible to search for any of its members. The last remaining species was Kauai Oo, last proven alive in 1987, and now considered extinct. Thus, when comparing number of families between various list, it is important to use the list of extant families. Clements states this number explicitly; IOC apparently does not. |
HIGHLIGHTS
OF CHANGES in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th and 12th editions are now available through this separate link to the 12th edition (2012). The footnotes and citations in the 13th edition are now at a separate link to the 13th edition (2015).
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This site is not affiliated with
the Handbook project but I highly recommend the books; click on
the banner below

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Every family has a link to a separate web
page, with photos, that I created over the years. Some are now very dated and badly need
revision.
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As a personal project, I have posted a 16 page set of my efforts
to see all the bird families (and proposed families) and to photograph
most of them; the gallery of photos begins with an introduction |
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Literature cited in this introduction:
Barker, F.K., A. Cibois, P. Schikler, J. Feinstein, and J. Cracraft. 2004. Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 101: 11040–11045.
Barker, F.K., K.J. Burns, J. Klicka, S.M. Lanyon, and I.J. Lovette. 2013. Going to extremes: contrasting rates of diversification in a recent radiation of New World passerine birds. Syst. Biol. 62: 298–320.
Burns, K.J., A.J. Schultz, P.O. Title, N.A. Mason, F.K. Barker, J. Klicka, S.M. Lanyon, and I.J. Lovette. 2014. Phylogenetics and diversification of tanagers (Passeriformes: Thraupidae), the largest radiation of Neotropical songbirds. Molec. Phylo. Evol. 75: 41-77.
Cai, T., A. Cibois, P. Alström, R.G. Moyle, J.D. Kennedy, S. Shaoh, R. Zhang, M. Irestedt, P.G.P. Ericson, M. Gelang, Y. Qu, F. Lei, J. Fjeldså. 2019. Near-complete phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the world’s babblers (Aves: Passeriformes). Molec. Phylo. Evol. 130: 346-356.
Dickinson, E.C., and L. Christidis. 2014. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World: Passerines Vol. 2. Aves Press, Eastbourne, U.K.
Johansson, U.S., J. Fjeldså, and C.K. Bowie. 2008. Phylogenetic relationships within Passerida (Aves: Passeriformes): A review and a new molecular phylogeny based on three nuclear intron markers. Mol. Phylog. Evol. 48: 858–876.
Jønsson, K.A., P-H. Fabre, J.D. Kennedy, B.G. Holt, M.K. Borregaard, C. Rahbek, and J. Fjeldså. 2016. A supermatrix phylogeny of corvoid passerine birds (Aves: Corvides). Molec. Phylog. Evol. 94: 87-94.
Ohlson, J.I., M. Irestedt, P.G.P. Ericson, and J. Fjeldså. 2013. Phylogeny and classification of the New World suboscines (Aves, Passeriformes). Zootaxa 3613: 1-35.
Prum, R.O., J.S. Bery, A. Dornburg, D.J. Field, J.P. Townsend, E.M. Lemmon, and A.R. Lemmon. 2015. A comprehensive phylogeny of birds (Aves) using targeted next-generation DNA sequencing. Nature 526: 569–573.
Schodde, R., and L. Christidis. 2014. Relicts from Tertiary Australasia: undescribed families and subfamilies of songbirds (Passeriformes) and their zoogeographic signal. Zootaxa 3786: 501-522.
Winkler, D.W., S.W. Billerman, and I.J. Lovette. 2015. Birds Families of the World: A Guide to the Spectacular Diversity of Birds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
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Older essays, a long list of prior literature cited, and footnotes [now discontinued]
are found at the bottom of the 13th ed of this Checklist |
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