User blog:StaraptorEmpoleon/Introduction to birds, part one (for beginners)

There are ways to classify birds. This is the easiest way:


 * Non-passerines. They are birds such as Bald Eagle, Red-necked Grebe, Greater Roadrunner, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-headed Woodpecker, American Oystercatcher, etc.


 * Passerines. They are birds such as Loggerhead Shrike, Violet-green Swallow, Wood Thrush, Red-throated Pipit, Siberian Rubythroat, Scarlet Tanager, etc.

The non-passerines and passerines can be further classified into other things as well.

Non-passerines:
 * Birds such as emus, cassowaries, ostriches, kiwis, rheas and smaller quail-like birds known as tinamous are more ancient birds, they are also known as  ratites  (say RAA-tite) or  palaeognaths  (say pay-LE-oh-nath) (or  Palaeognathae ; say PAY-lee-oh-NATH-ay).


 * Birds such as pheasants, quail, turkeys, ducks, geese, swans and the less familiar screamers are all known as  fowl  or  Galloanserae  (say gal-oh-answer-AY).


 * Birds such as grebes, flamingos, the lesser known tropicbirds, sandgrouse, mesites, kagu and sunbittern and the more familiar pigeons and doves are in a group called  Columbimorphae  (say coh-lum-bih-MOR-fee).


 * Birds such as hummingbirds, frogmouths, swifts and nightjars and more lesser-known birds such as the oilbird, potoos, owlet-nightjars and treeswifts are in a group called  Cypselomorphae  (say sip-SEL-oh-MOR-fee).


 * Birds such as