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Aves · Flight & feathers

Birds

There are more than 10,000 living bird species, from flightless penguins to albatrosses that cross oceans. This is WARN's complete bird section: 102 sourced species guides plus 9 type pages — birds of prey, garden birds, waterbirds, seabirds, parrots, flightless, tropical and farmed birds — each with identification pointers, IUCN status and FAQs.

102 species guides 9 bird types 13 threatened species covered
Search all 102 birds Browse by type
10,000+
Living bird species worldwide — highest diversity in tropical forests
320 km/h
Approximate top speed of a peregrine falcon in a hunting stoopSource: peer-reviewed flight studies
1 in 3
Share of bird species in decline globallySource: IUCN / BirdLife International
Dinosaurs
Birds are the only surviving lineage of theropod dinosaurs

Types of birds

The everyday groupings people actually use. These cut across taxonomy — a kingfisher and a heron are both waterbirds but sit in different orders. Each type has its own guide with identification pointers and FAQs.

All 102 bird guides

Search by name, or filter by type, conservation status, region and letter.

Showing 1-24 of 102 animals

Animal group
A wandering albatross gliding low over the open ocean on long, narrow outstretched wings, with a pale body, dark wingtips and a large pinkish bill.
Varies; most albatross species are threatened

Seabirds

A

Albatross

Diomedeidae

The ocean's greatest gliders — and the world's most threatened bird family.

Southern Ocean · North Pacific

Open guide
An Atlantic puffin standing on a grassy clifftop, showing its black-and-white plumage, orange legs and large triangular bill striped in red, orange-yellow and slate grey, with several silver sand eels held crosswise in its beak.
Vulnerable

Seabirds

A

Atlantic Puffin

Fratercula arctica

The North Atlantic's beloved "sea parrot" — a burrow-nesting seabird whose famous bill fades each winter at sea.

Iceland · Norway and the Faroe Islands

Open guide
Bald eagle with white head and yellow beak on a pine branch
Least Concern

Birds of prey

B

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) — family Accipitridae

A fish eagle that came back from about 400 pairs — and one of conservation's clearest wins.

North America — Alaska, Canada, the contiguous United States and northern Mexico · Coasts, large lakes and major rivers

Open guide
Barn owl with heart-shaped white face perched on a fence post
Least Concern globally; locally declining across intensively farmed landscapes

Birds of prey

B

Barn Owl

Tyto alba (Scopoli, 1769) — family Tytonidae

The most widely distributed land bird on Earth — and it hunts almost entirely by ear.

Every continent except Antarctica · Farmland, grassland, marsh edge and rough grass margins

Open guide
Male blackbird with glossy black plumage and bright orange-yellow bill standing on a lawn beside a garden flower bed
Least Concern

Garden birds

B

Blackbird

Turdus merula (Linnaeus, 1758) — family Turdidae

The song that starts before dawn — and the bird most likely to nest in your hedge.

Europe, North Africa and western Asia · Introduced to Australia and New Zealand

Open guide
A blue jay perched on a branch, showing its bright blue crest, black necklace marking, and white-and-black barred wings and tail.
Least Concern

Garden birds

B

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

The bold, blue-crested corvid that mimics hawks and plants oak forests one acorn at a time.

North America

Open guide
A small Eurasian blue tit with a sky-blue cap, white cheeks, a dark eye-stripe and a bright yellow breast, perched on a slender twig.
Least Concern

Garden birds

B

Blue Tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

The acrobatic blue-and-yellow regular of European gardens.

United Kingdom and Ireland · Mainland Europe

Open guide
A large wild flock of budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) in flight over the Australian outback, their green and yellow plumage bright against a dusk sky.
Least Concern

Parrots & macaws

B

Budgerigar

Melopsittacus undulatus (Shaw, 1805)

Australia's tiny parrot — a wild flocking bird, not just a cage pet.

Australia

Open guide
Male bullfinch with rosy-pink breast, black cap and grey back perched in a snowy garden shrub beside frost-covered buds
Least Concern

Garden birds

B

Bullfinch

Pyrrhula pyrrhula (Linnaeus, 1758) — family Fringillidae

Pink, shy and broad-billed — the finch fruit growers watch in winter.

Deciduous woodland and scrub across Europe and temperate Asia · Local in British gardens near scrub and orchards

Open guide
Yellow canary perched on a cage bar singing
Domesticated species

Parrots & macaws

C

Canary

Serinus canaria

The singing island finch of parlours worldwide

Africa · Europe

Open guide
A southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) standing beside a rocky stream in dense rainforest vegetation, showing its distinctive blue and red neck, brown casque, and glossy black plumage.
Least Concern

Flightless birds

C

Cassowary

Casuarius spp.

The rainforest's living gardener — a flightless giant that reshapes forests one seed at a time

Papua New Guinea · Indonesia (West Papua, Maluku Islands)

Open guide
Male chaffinch with pink breast, blue-grey cap and white wing bars feeding on sunflower seeds beneath a garden feeder
Least Concern

Garden birds

C

Chaffinch

Fringilla coelebs (Linnaeus, 1758) — family Fringillidae

Britain's commonest finch — pink-breasted in spring, picking seed beneath your feeders.

Woodland, farmland and gardens across Europe and western Asia · Widespread throughout Britain and Ireland

Open guide
A black and red domestic rooster (Gallus gallus domesticus) stands alert on open green grass in a farmyard, with historic farm buildings and forested hills visible in the background.
Domesticated

Farmed & domestic birds

C

Chicken

Gallus gallus domesticus — descended from red junglefowl (Gallus gallus)

The world's commonest bird — junglefowl turned livestock, companion and welfare challenge at industrial scale.

Worldwide — domestic; wild ancestor in South and South-east Asia

Open guide
A grey cockatiel with an orange cheek patch and raised crest perched on a branch against a plain background.
Least Concern

Parrots & macaws

C

Cockatiel

Nymphicus hollandicus (Kerr, 1792) — the smallest member of the cockatoo family

Australia's pocket cockatoo — a gentle, whistling parrot bred into many colour mutations.

Australia (wild); kept worldwide

Open guide
A sulphur-crested cockatoo with raised yellow crest and white plumage perched on a tree limb.
Varies by species

Parrots & macaws

C

Cockatoo

Family Cacatuidae — 21 species in 4 genera (Cacatua, Calyptorhynchus, Callocephalon, Nymphicus)

Crested parrots of Australasia — loud, long-lived and deeply threatened by trade.

Australia · Indonesia

Open guide
A common buzzard perched on a fence post, showing its broad body, brown plumage with a pale chest band, hooked yellow-and-grey beak and piercing dark eye, against a soft green countryside background.
Least Concern

Birds of prey

C

Common Buzzard

Buteo buteo

The broad-winged, mewing raptor that became Britain's commonest bird of prey.

United Kingdom · Europe

Open guide
A common kestrel hovering with fanned tail and beating wings against a pale sky, its chestnut-brown back and dark wingtips visible as it hunts over open grassland.
Least Concern

Birds of prey

C

Common Kestrel

Falco tinnunculus

The hovering falcon that hunts by the glow of vole urine.

Europe · Asia

Open guide
A common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) with brilliant electric-blue upperparts and warm orange underparts, perched on a thin reed above a river and gripping a small silver fish in its long, dagger-shaped black bill.
Least Concern

Waterbirds & wildfowl

C

Common Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

A jewel of the riverbank that hunts by diving headfirst for fish.

Europe · Asia

Open guide
A common starling perched on a branch in winter, its black plumage covered in dense white and buff speckles and showing an iridescent green-and-purple sheen, with a sharp pointed bill
Least Concern

Garden birds

C

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

The speckled mimic behind winter's swirling murmurations

Europe · North Africa

Open guide
An adult male Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) soars with wings fully spread against a clear blue sky near Farellones, Chile, displaying its distinctive black plumage, white neck ruff, and bare orange-yellow head.
Varies by species: Andean Condor

Birds of prey

C

Condor

Vultur gryphus (Andean) / Gymnogyps californianus (California)

The largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere — ancient scavengers whose fate hangs on the choices humanity makes

South America · Andes Mountains

Open guide
Great cormorant with black plumage and hooked bill standing on a rocky outcrop with wings outstretched to dry
Least Concern

Waterbirds & wildfowl

C

Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) — family Phalacrocoracidae

The black diver that spreads its wings to dry — and eats fish for a living.

Coasts, estuaries, lakes and rivers worldwide · Widespread breeder and winter visitor in Britain

Open guide
A common crane (Grus grus) stands on a green grass meadow with its beak open, calling, showing its grey plumage and the distinctive red crown patch.
Varies by species

Waterbirds & wildfowl

C

Crane

Family Gruidae

Ancient dancers of the sky — cranes have soared across every continent bar two for tens of millions of years

Europe · Asia

Open guide
A glossy black crow perched on a bare branch, its strong beak and dark eye catching the light against a soft grey sky.
Varies by species; common crows Least Concern

Garden birds

C

Crow

Corvus

Among the cleverest birds on Earth — tool-users, problem-solvers and faces in the crowd.

North America · Europe

Open guide
Common cuckoo with blue-grey plumage and barred breast perched on a farmland fence post in spring meadow
Least Concern globally

Garden birds

C

Cuckoo

Cuculus canorus (Linnaeus, 1758) — family Cuculidae

The call of spring — and a brood parasite that fooled a continent.

Breeds across Europe and Asia to Mongolia · Winters in sub-Saharan Africa; summer visitor to Britain

Open guide

Quick answers about birds

Browse all answers →

One in three bird species is declining

Habitat loss leads, followed by the illegal trade that hits parrots hardest, collisions with glass and power lines, introduced predators and domestic cats, rodenticide and pesticide poisoning, and climate-driven mismatches between when birds breed and when their food appears.

Birds are also the group where individual action is most directly measurable — window markings, nest boxes with the right hole size, cats kept in at dawn, and hedges left uncut all have documented effects.

Fund bird protection How to help birds near you

Birds: frequently asked questions

What makes an animal a bird?
Birds are feathered vertebrates with beaks and no teeth, that lay hard-shelled eggs and are warm-blooded. They form the class Aves and are the surviving lineage of theropod dinosaurs. Feathers are the defining feature — every bird has them, and no other living animal does.
How many species of bird are there?
More than 10,000 living species are currently recognised, with the highest diversity in tropical forests. The exact figure moves as genetic work splits and merges species, and some taxonomies count over 11,000.
What are the main types of birds?
The everyday groupings are birds of prey (raptors and owls), garden birds, waterbirds and wildfowl, seabirds, parrots, flightless birds, tropical forest birds and farmed birds. These cut across scientific taxonomy — a heron and a kingfisher are both waterbirds but belong to different orders.
Are birds dinosaurs?
Yes. Birds are the only surviving lineage of theropod dinosaurs, the group that included Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. Feathers, hollow bones, wishbones and brooding behaviour all predate birds and are inherited from dinosaur ancestors.
What is the fastest bird?
The peregrine falcon, which reaches roughly 320 km/h in a hunting stoop — the fastest verified speed of any animal. In level flapping flight the fastest birds are swifts, at around 110 km/h.
Are penguins birds?
Yes. Penguins are flightless seabirds whose wings evolved into stiff flippers for swimming and whose bones became dense rather than air-filled. Both changes make them superb divers and make flight impossible.
What is the difference between a crow and a raven?
Ravens are noticeably larger with a heavier bill, a shaggy throat, a wedge-shaped tail in flight and a deep croaking call. Crows are smaller, with a fan-shaped tail and a higher cawing call. Both are corvids and among the most intelligent birds studied.
Which birds are birds of prey?
Raptors — eagles, hawks, buzzards, kites, falcons, ospreys, vultures and condors — plus the owls, which hunt the same way at night. All share hooked bills for tearing, forward-facing eyes for depth perception, and gripping talons.
Why are many birds endangered?
Habitat loss is the dominant driver, followed by illegal trade (which hits parrots hardest), collisions with buildings, glass and power lines, predation by introduced mammals and domestic cats, pesticide and rodenticide poisoning, and climate-driven mismatches between breeding timing and food availability. Around one in three bird species is in decline.
How can I help birds where I live?
Feed year-round with sunflower hearts and provide clean water; put up nest boxes with a hole size matched to the species; mark windows on the outside at spacings under 10 cm to prevent collisions; keep cats in at dawn and dusk; and leave hedges uncut through the breeding season.

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