List of birds

This article lists living orders and families of birds. In total there are about 11,000 species of birds described as of 2024,^[1] though one estimate of the real number places it at almost 20,000.^[2] The order passerines (perching birds) alone accounts for well over 5,000 species.

Taxonomy is very fluid in the age of DNA analysis, so comments are made where appropriate, and all numbers are approximate. In particular see Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy for a very different classification.