Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index In this article, Europe refers to the geographical continent, not the somewhat larger Western Palearctic, which includes parts of the Middle East and north Africa. There are about 700 species of bird in the area, and in general the avifauna is similar to Asia north of the Himalayas, which shares the same ecozone. There are also many groups shared with North America. Conversely, many of the southern hemisphere groups, including the ancient flightless Struthioniformes (ostrich family), and their relatives the tinamous are not represented at all. European birds include the following families: Gaviiformes Gaviidae divers Podicepiformes Podicepidae grebes Procellariiformes Diomedeidae albatross rare vagrant Procellariidae fulmars, shearwaters, gadfly and other petrels. These petrels are all rare. Hydrobatidae storm petrels Pelecaniformes Pelecanidae pelicans Sulidae gannets Phalacrocoracidae cormorants Fregatidae frigatebirds very rare vagrant Phaethontidae tropicbirds very rare vagrant Ciconiiformes (American taxonomists often include all the raptors in this family.) Ardeidae herons and bitterns Ciconiidae: storks Threskiomithidae ibises and spoonbills Phoenicopteridae flamingos Anseriformes Anatidae swans, geese and ducks Accipitriformes (Some classifications also include the Falconidae.) Pandionidae Osprey Accipitridae hawks, eagles, buzzards and Old World vultures, harrierss, kitess and allies Falconiformes (Sometimes included in the Accipitriformes.) Falconidae falcons Galliformes Tetraonidae grouse Phasianidae partridges, pheasants, quails etc. Turnicidae buttonquails very marginal in Europe Gruiformes Gruidae craness Rallidae railss and crakes Otidae bustards Charadriformes Haematopodidae oystercatchers Charadrfidae plovers Scolopacidae typical waders or shorebirds Burhinidae thick-knees Glareolidae coursers and pratincoles Stercoraracidae skuas Laridae gulls Sternidae terns Rhynchopidae skimmers Alcidae auks Pterocliformes Pteroclidae sandgrouse Columbiformes (Worldwide; 300 species.) Columbidae pigeons and doves Psittaciformes Psittacidae parrots introduced only Cuculiformes Cuculidae cuckoos Strigiformes Tytonidae barn owls Strigidae owls Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgidae nightjars Apodiformes Apodidae swifts Coraciiformes Alcedinidae kingfishers Meropidae bee-eaters Coraciidae rollers Upupidae Hoopoe Piciformes Picidae woodpeckers Passeriformes perching birds Alaudidae larks Hirundinidae swallows and martins Motacillidae wagtails and pipits Bombycillidae waxwings Cinclidae dippers Troglodytidae wrens Prunellidae accentors Turdidae thrusheses and chatss Corvidae crows Sylviidae Old World warblers Regulidae kinglets Muscicapidae Old World flycatchers Aegithalidae long-tailed tits Remizidae penduline tits Paridae titmice Tichodromadidae Wallcreeper Sittidae nuthatches Certhiidae treecreepers Laniidae shrikes Corvidae crows and jays Emberizidae buntingss and American sparrows Thraupidae tanagers very rare vagrant Vireonidae vireos very rare vagrant Parulidae New World warblers very rare vagrant Icteridae icterids very rare vagrant Fringillidae finches Estrildidae waxbills etc introduced Ploceidae weavers and sparrows Sturnidae starlings Oriolidae orioles The links above lead to family accounts and hence to individual species. Taxonomy is very fluid in the age of DNA analysis, so other arrangements may be found. See also Australian birds British birds North American birds This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.