Genus

(Plural: genera). The division of classification into a family is divided and which has one or more species, i.e. the rank below a family,^[1] descended from a common ancestor.^[2] A genus is made up of a group of structurally or phylogenetically related species.^[2]

A genus that contains a single species is known as monotypic.^[3]

Examples[]

Bluebirds are in the genus Sialia.^[4]
Fairy-bluebirds are in the genus Irena.^[5]
Indian and Sumatran Rhinoceroses are in the genus Rhinoceros.
Cheetahs are in the genus Acinonyx.
Komodo Dragon and monitors are in the genus Varanus.
Gharial is in the genus Gavialis.
Poison dart frogs are in the genus Dendrobates.
Hellbender is in the genus Cryptobranchus.
Lionfish are in the genus Pterois.
Coelacanths are in the genus Latimeria.
Horn sharks are in the genus Heterodontus.
Frilled sharks are in the genus Chlamydoselachus.

References[]

^ Simpson & Day (1999). A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 6th Edition. Penguin. ISBN 0-691-04995-5.
^ ^a ^b Terres, John K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0394466519.
^ Frances, Peter; et al. (2007). Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley Inc. ISBN 1564582957.
^ John H. Boyd III (December 14, 2011). "MUSCICAPOIDEA II: Cinclidae, Turdidae, and Muscicapidae". TiF Checklist. Retrieved 12-07-2025. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
^ "BASAL PASSEROIDEA: Promeropidae, Dicaeidae, Nectariniidae, Irenidae, and Chloropseidae". TiF Checklist. December 14, 2011. Retrieved 12-07-2025. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

This article is part of Project Glossary, an All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each term related to animals.

Project Glossary

Glossary	v • t • e

A

Abdomen • Aberrant • Abmigration • Abrasion • Absolute magnitude • Absorption line • Abyssal • Abyssal plain • Abyssal zone • Accelerating universe • Accidental • Accretion • Acquisition • Active galaxy • Active prominence • Adaptive radiation • Addition • Adult • Adult plumage • Aerie • African parrot • Air mass • Air sac • Airfoil • Alarm call • Albedo • Albino • Allopatric • Allopreening • Altazimuth mounting • Altitude • Altricial • Alula • Americas • Anadromous • Anaerobic • Anatomy • Annual parallax • Annual proper motion • Annualar eclipse • Anoxic • Antarctic Circle • Ant-follower • Anterior • Anticyclone • Anting • Antimatter • Antiparticle • Antiphonal song • Aperture • Apogee • Apparent magnitude • Arachnoid • Arboreal • Arctic Circle • Argon • Arm • Asexual reproduction • Asterism • Asteroid • Astronomical unit • Asynchronous hatching • Atmosphere • Atoll • Atom • Auricular • Auricular patch • Aurora • Autapomorphy • Authigenic • Autotroph • Autumnal equinox • Avian influenza • Axillaries • Azimuth

B

Back • Background radiation • Backshore • Backwash • Baleen • Band • Bank • Bar • Barbel • Barbule • Barnard • Barrage • Barred • Barred spiral galaxy • Barrier island • Barrier reef • Baryon • Basal (phylogenetics) • Basic I • Basin • Bathyal • Beach face • Belly • Beryllium • Benthos • Berm • Bib • Big Bang • Big Crunch • Big Rip • Binary star • Binomial nomenclature • Biodiversity • Biogenic • Bioluminescence • Biomass • Biome • Bioturbation • Bipedalism • Bird anatomy • Bird diets • Bird egg • Bird flight • Bird hybrid • Bird intelligence • Bird migration • Bird nest • Bird of prey • Bird reproduction • Bird senses • Bird song • Black body • Black dwarf star • Black hole • Black smoker • Blazar • BL lacterae object • Bloom • Blue shift • Body fossil • Bok globule • Booted • Bore • Brackish • Breaker zone • Breakwater • Breast • Breastband • Breeding plumage • Brood parasite • Brown dwarf star • Bustle • Buzzard • Bycatch

C

Calcareous • Calcium carbonate • Calendar year • Caldera • Callosity • Calve • Carapace • Carbon cycle • Carnivore • Carpal • Carpal bar • Casque • Casual • Catadromous • Cere • Cheek • Chemosynthesis • Chevron • Chin • Chlorophyll • Chromatophore • Cilia • Clade • Class • Cline • Cloaca • Coast • Cob • Cold seep • Collar • Colonial • Colour morph • Commensalism • Commic terns • Commissure • Common name • Concordant coast • Congeneric • Conservation status • Conspecific • Continental crust • Continental margin • Continental rise • Continental shelf • Continental slope • Convection • Convergent evolution • Coral bleaching • Coral reef • Coralline • Coriolis effect • Coverts • Crepuscular • Crest • Cretaceous • Crissum • Critically Endangered • Crown • Crown patch • Cryptic • Culmen • Current • Cusp • Cyclone

D

Dactyly • Dark zone • Dawn chorus • Deforestation • Delta • Demersal • Deposit feeding • Depositional coast • Detritus • Deuterium • Dewlap • Diagnostic • Digital object identifier • Dihedral • Discordant coast • DNA • DNA sequence • Doldrums • Dorsal • Drift • Drowned coast • Dune

E

Ear tuft • Earth • Echolocation • Echo-sounding • Eclipse plumage • Eddy • Egg • Egg tooth • Ekman effect • El Nino • Emargination • Emergent coast • Endangered • Endangered species • Endemic • Endemism • ENSO • Eocene • Equator • Erosional coast • Estuary • Eustatic • Eutrophication • Evolution of birds • Extant • Extinct • Extinct in the wild • Extinction • Exoskeleton • Eye • Eye line • Eye ring • Eye stripe • Eye wattle • Eyebrow

F

Face skin • Facial disk • Family • Fast ice • Fathom • Fault •Feather • Feather fringe • Fecal sac • Femur • Feral • Ferrel cell • Fertilization • Fetch • Filoplume • Filter feeding • Finger • Fjord • Flagellum • Flank • Fledgling • Flight feathers • Flightless bird • Flipper • Fluke • Foot • Foot projection • Forced wave • Forecrown • Forehead • Foreneck • Foreshore • Forest • Forewing • Fossil • Fractal • Frazil ice • Fringing reef • Frons • Front • Frontal shield

G

Gabion • Gander • Gape • Gape flange • Genus • Gibber • Gill rakers • Glacier • Gleaning • Glide • Gonydeal angle • Gonys • Gorget • Gravitational lens • Grease ice • Grease ice • Groyne • Guano • Gular • Gular fluttering • Guyot • Gynandromorph • Gyre

H

H1N1 • Habitat • Habitat loss • Hackle • Hadal • Hadley cell • Half-hood • Halocline • Hand • Hatchling • Hawk • Headland • Heat capacity • Helium • Herbig-Haro object • Herbivore • Hermaphrodite • Hibernation • Hindneck • Holdfast • Holoplankton • Hood • Hotspot • Hover • Humerus • Hurricane • Hybrid • Hydrocarbon • Hydrogen • Hydrothermal vent

I-K

Ice age • Iceberg • Ice cap • Ice lead • Ice rafting • Ice sheet • Ice shelf • Igneous rock • Immature • Incertae sedis • Infraorder • Insectivore • Intermediate coast • Internal wave • International Standard Book Number • Introduced species • Intertropical convergence zone • Invertebrate • Iridescence • Irradiance • Irruption • Island arc • Isolating mechanisms • Isotasy • IUCN • Juvenile • Katabatic wind • Keel • Kite (verb) • Kleptoparasitism • Krypton

This article is part of Project Taxonomy, an All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each taxonomic term.

[Australia-1] Simpson & Day (1999). A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 6th Edition. Penguin. ISBN 0-691-04995-5.

[Encyclopedia-2] Terres, John K. (1980). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0394466519.

[Bird-3] Frances, Peter; et al. (2007). Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley Inc. ISBN 1564582957.

[TiF26-4] John H. Boyd III (December 14, 2011). "MUSCICAPOIDEA II: Cinclidae, Turdidae, and Muscicapidae". TiF Checklist. Retrieved 12-07-2025. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

[TiF27-5] "BASAL PASSEROIDEA: Promeropidae, Dicaeidae, Nectariniidae, Irenidae, and Chloropseidae". TiF Checklist. December 14, 2011. Retrieved 12-07-2025. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

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