Taxonomy (taxonomy of the class of birds in particular) is one of the oldest sections of the complex of biological sciences. Its main goal is to identify the entire diversity of organisms, develop theoretical and practical foundations for their classification, establish family ties between individual species and groups of species. Without this, it is not possible to navigate the diversity of the surrounding organic world.
Systematics Tasks
As the main tasks, the taxonomy of birds sets the following:
- identification, description and subsequent designation of bird species, not only existing but also fossils;
- determination of the causes and factors of speciation.
A brief historical outline
The first attempt to systematize animal species was made by Aristotle in the 4th century BC. He united all the birds he knew in one genus - Ornithes. The system was imperfect, but this did not prevent it from lasting until the second half of the 17th century.
For the first time, birds were divided into groups according to their morphological and external features by the English biologist F. Willoughby in the book Ornithologiae libri tres, which was designed and released after his death in 1676. It was this scientific source that Karl Linnae used in the future to create the Nature System. , including taxonomy of birds. He introduced binominal nomenclature and hierarchical categories to designate the species that are used to date. The Linnaeus system included six classes (categories), one of them, along with amphibians, worms, fish, insects and mammals, was occupied by birds (Aves).
The third stage in the development of taxonomy falls at the beginning of the 19th century. At this time, the attention of researchers was focused on studying evolution within a species and elucidating its paths. The modern systematics of birds appeals with such a concept as “the infraclass of fan-tailed birds”, or “real birds”. Let's consider them in more detail.
Infraclass fan-tailed birds
Infraclass unites all known fossils and birds living on the earth that have a certain feature. It is expressed in the sharply shortened tail section of the spine and the fusion of the last 4-6 vertebrae into a special bone called the pygostyle, to which the tail feathers are attached. Currently, the subclass is divided into two superorders: ratites and newborn palates. Together they combine 40 modern orders of birds and three extinct.
Beakless birds
The outdated names of this superorder sound like ostrich, running or smooth-breasted birds. It is not numerous, in accordance with modern taxonomy of birds without a keel, there are only 58 species distributed in five orders:
- The detachment is kiwi. Includes one family and family of the same name. Five endemic species are known (large and small gray, northern brown, common kiwi and Apteryx rowi) that live in New Zealand.
- Squad nanduobraznye. It consists of one family and a genus represented by two species: common and Darwin's nandu.
- The ostrich-shaped order is represented by the only species - the African ostrich (pictured above).
- Squad tinamoobraznye. The largest group of ratites, including 47 species, combined in 9 genera.
- The squad is casuaroid, or Australian ostriches. It includes two families. The first is cassowary, represented by two species, and the second is an emu with a single species of the same name.
In addition, the subclass of ratites has three extinct orders: epiornisoid, litorite-like and moa-shaped.
Newborn birds
According to the current systematics of birds, this subclass is the most numerous and unites more than 9000 species, and this is the vast majority of all modern birds. Their main feature is the structure of the palate, other distinguishing characteristics do not exist. Keel birds are represented by both flying and flightless species. One of the largest representatives is a condor with a wingspan of up to 3.2 m. And the hummingbird is the smallest bird. The first fossilized remains of the new palate date from the Cretaceous period, i.e. about 70 million years ago.
We list 35 units that distinguish between the modern systematics adopted by the International Union of Ornithologists. If not all chicken birds are known, then many are one of the most common bird groups. The most common and numerous bird is domestic chicken. The remaining units:
- ciconiiformes (ankle);
- gationic;
- Anseriformes;
- passerines;
- petrel-shaped (tubular);
- pigeon-shaped;
- loons;
- bustard;
- crane-like;
- woodpeckers;
- karyamoobraznye;
- cuckoo-like;
- Crown-like;
- goat-like;
- pelican-like (copepods);
- Madagascar shepherds;
- grebe-like;
- parrot-like;
- mouse birds;
- gannet;
- penguin-like;
- rhino birds;
- Charadriiformes;
- Squamous;
- crayfish;
- falconous;
- sun herons;
- swine-like;
- Turakoobrazny;
- owls;
- trogonoid;
- phaeton-like;
- flamingos;
- hawk-like.
The International Union of Ornithologists does not recognize the detachment of American vultures distinguished by many modern taxonomists. It is regarded as the family of the same name belonging to the hawk-like.