User:Node ue/Birdidae

Bird classification is the process of identifying birds into classes.

Types of Bird

There are several types of bird, all included in the bird familly Birdidae. The systematics of this taxon are most complex, and bemuse anyone but the most committed and knowledgable birdologist.

A simplified classification tree follows:

===Air Birds=== (genus Flybirdia)

These are the most common bird group. They are found in the air, although one occasionally sees them on the ground due to a frequent breif medical condition known as wing cramp or pterostasis.

===Tree birds=== (genus Arboravia)

These are also commonly seen members of the Birdidae and can usually be recognised due to their prediliction for tree-rich habitats. Their habits usually consist of sitting on branches, defecating from them onto nearby objects (people, cars, etc.) and the occasional flapping of wings without moving anywhere.

However, one must be careful to ensure that a suspected tree bird is not in fact an air bird which was suffering from wing cramp whilst flying over a tree, and thereby momentarily placed itself in the wrong enviroment. If this eventuation is thought likely, a generally failsafe test is to throw the suspected air bird upwards and watch its movements carefully: if it remains in the air habitat, then one can safely assume that it is a bona fide air bird.

===Water Birds=== (genus Aquabirdia)

Water Birds are subdiveded into several subgenera:

====Sea Birds==== (Subgenus Boadecea)

Found on or by the sea. Closely related to air birds, they can sometimes be found in the air directly above the sea. Such species have been dubbed "Sea-Air birds" by some birdologists.

====Lake Birds==== (Subgenus Avielakeius)

These are found on or in the direct vicinity of lakes. A common example of an Avielakeian is the duck (Avielakeius quackkus) and its close relative, the goose (Avielakeius honkomuchus). Lakes birds generally feed on a diet of water and crusty bread, although some species have been known to take cigarrette ends.

====River birds==== (Subgenus Flavescobirdus)

Found in or near flowing inland waters, the best example of this group is the swan, Flavescobirdus albocorpus.

===Ground Birds=== (genus Terrabirdia)

These are also commonly seen members of the Birdidae and can usually be recognised due to their prediliction for ground rather than arboreal habitats. Their habits usually consist of sitting on the ground, eating table scraps and other sorts of trash, and the occasional flapping of wings without moving anywhere.

However, one must be careful to ensure that a suspected ground bird is not in fact an air bird which was suffering from wing cramp whilst flying overhead, and thereby momentarily placed itself in the wrong enviroment, or a tree bird which for some reason fell from its arboreal habitat. If this eventuation is thought likely, a generally failsafe test is to throw the suspected air bird or tree bird upwards and watch its movements carefully: if it remains in the air habitat or moves quickly to an arboreal habitat, it is safe to assume it is not a ground bird.

====Hill Birds==== (Subgenus Grumulensis)

Hill birds are found mostly in the hills of Northeastern India. Though there are varieties of hill bird in other areas, they are certainly most common there.

====Mountain Birds==== (Subgenus Montebirdia)

Mountain birds are found exclusively in Nepal and Bhutan. They are peculiar in that their activities consist almost exclusively of defecating on unsuspecting sherpas and yaks.

====Sand Birds==== (Subgenus Pulvavia)

Sand birds, the oddball cousins-twice-removed of the genus, are native to the Sahara desert. Since there is no vegetation in the Sahara, most experts believe that their diet consists exclusively of sand.

Other types

Many other bird genera and subgenera exist, and some are very hard to differentiate, even for the most experienced birdologist. Hybridisation also takes place; for example, it is thought that the Common Statue bird (Templobirdia vulgaris) has interbred very much with the Common Pigeon (Urbobirdus shittalottus), resulting in the bird variety commonly seen in London.

Of course, biodiversity is greater in tropical climes, and the tropics boast a far greater variety of bird types; for example:

Buffalo birds from the African savannah
Oil birds from the Persian Gulf.
Nasty Dictator birds (genus Saddavis) have also been spotted from that area, although S. massdestructicus var. weaponii has been conspiculously absent in recent times, due to habitat destruction. Recently, the United States of America launched a campaign to bring about their extinction, drawing protest from many Envir oment alist groups worldwide.