The
birds of
Australasia include the following
orders and
families:
- Struthioniiformes
- Casuariidae[?]: Three species of emu (two recently extinct), three species of cassowary.
- Struthionidae: the Ostrich (introduced to Australia, now feral)
- Dinornithidae: 11 species of moa, all extinct.
- Apterygidae: three species of kiwi.
- Podicipediformes
- Sphenisciformes
- Procellariiformes
- Pelecaniformes
- Ciconiiformes
- Phoenicopteriformes
- Anseriformes
- Falconiformes (see raptor)
- Galliformes
- Gruiformes
- Charadriiformes
- Columbiformes
- Psittaciformes
- Cuculiformes
- Cuculidae: cuckoos
- Centropodidae: Pheasant Coucal
- Strigiformes
- Caprimulgiformes
- Coraciiformes
- Passeriformes: suborder Tyranni ("suboscines[?]")
- Passeriformes: suborder Passeri ("oscines"), parvorder Corvidia[?]
- Menuridae: lyrebirds
- Atrichomithidae: scrub birds[?]
- Climacteridae: Australian treecreepers[?]
- Maluridae: fairy-wrens[?], emu-wrens[?] and grasswrens[?]
- Meliphagidae: honeyeaters and chats
- Pardalotidae: pardalotes, scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones
- Petroicidae: Australian robins, including the Scarlet Robin[?]
- Orthonychidae logrunners[?]
- Pomatostomidae Australasian babblers[?]
- Cinclosomatidae: whipbirds and allies
- Neosittidae: Varied Sittella
- Pachycephalidae: whistlers, shrike-thrushes, pitohuis and allies
- Dicruridae: monarch flycatchers[?], flycatchers, fantails. the Magpie-lark and the drongos[?]. Includes the Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail
- Campephagidae: cuckoo shrikes[?] and trillers
- Oriolidae: orioles, Figbird
- Artamidae: wood swallows[?], butcherbirds[?], currawongs and Australian Magpie
- Puidisaeidae: birds of paradise
- Corvidae: Rook, Australian Raven, Forest Raven, Little Raven, Little Crow and Torresian Crow
- Corcoracidae[?]: the White-winged Chough and the Apostlebird[?]
- Laniidae: shrikes (rare vagrants)
- Passeriformes: suborder Passeri ("oscines"), parvorder Passerida[?]
The final decades of the 20th century saw a massive increase in the information available to taxonomists, particularly through the DND-DNA hybridisation[?] studies of Charles Sibley and colleages. As a result, much revision of the traditional classifications has taken place. The family listing above follows the current official list from the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.
Several well-known families have been reclassified in recent years, among them:
- The Dromaiidae (emus) which are now part of Casuariidae[?].
- The Ephthianuridae (Australian chats) which are clearly honeyeaters and part of the Meliphagidae.
- The Acanthizidae which are now lumped with the Pardalotes and form part of the Pardalotidae. (The pardalotes may at some time be split off again, in which case "Acanthizidae" will apply to the remainder once again.)
- The Grallinidae (Magpie-lark and Torrent Lark) which are part of the Dicruridae[?].