Audubon Magazine Birding 101

What Type of Bird Is That?

See a bird but have no idea what bird you actually saw? Start with this list of common avian categories.
A Northern Mockingbird hovers around a Crested Caracara perched on a fence post.
Northern Mockingbird (left) and Crested Caracara. Photo: Steven Chu/Audubon Photography Awards
By Andrew Del-Colle
Digital Editorial Director, Audubon magazine
Published January 14, 2026
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In this story you'll learn: 

  • How many bird species there are in the world.
  • How many bird species are in the United States. 
  • The major categories or types of birds. 
  • The bird families within each bird category. 
  • Where different types of birds live.

__________

There are more than 11,000 species of birds in the world, and somewhere between 1,100 and 1,200 of them live in North America year-round or seasonally. It's no wonder, then, that a person unfamiliar with birds might not know a Hermit Thrush from a Herring Gull. The sheer diversity of species can be overwhelming.

Fortunately, almost all birds can be lumped into a handful of general groups. Whether you're trying to figure out what bird you saw or just want to learn more about avians, here are the most common types of birds in the United States and a sampling of the families or species that fall within them. To learn more about the birds in each group, click through to our online bird guide. 

Songbirds

Consider this group your classic bird. Also known as passerines or perching birds, songbirds range from small (Bushtits) to medium (American Robins) to large (Common Ravens), and can be found in every type of habitat across the country, as well as backyard feeders and urban spaces. Here are the common bird families that fall within this category:  


Aerial Insectivores

Incredible fliers, these small to medium-sized birds look like heat-seeking boomerangs as they deftly chase bugs across the sky. Though they fill a similar ecological niche and, in the case of swallows and swifts, look similar, the birds below are unrelated and occupy a wide range of habitats, including cities and towns. Here are the common bird families that fall within this category:  


Raptors 

Also known as birds of prey, raptors are renowned for their hunting prowess. Some, like the Peregrine Falcon, are indeed excellent hunters—but many are just as happy to steal or scavenge their next meal. In fact, for vultures, eating dead carrion is the only way they survive, thereby providing a vital ecosystem service. Here are the common bird families that fall within this category:  


Waterfowl

If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it's probably a waterfowl. Or something like that. But it's true enough, and joining ducks  like Mallards and teals in this group are geese, swans, and other football-shaped birds you can see floating at your local lake, down a river, or even out at sea. Here are the common bird families or species that fall within this category: 


Shorebirds

Now, if it's squat, speedy, and running around water, you're likely looking at a shorebird. And honestly, you're probably looking at a sandpiper. That particular family runs the gamut, from medium-sized, long-billed Willets and curlews to chunky dowitchers and, of course, all the various sandpipers. Here are the common bird families or species that fall within this category: 


Wading Birds

The name says it all: These long-legged birds are often found at the water's edge, wading in the shallows and milling about mudflats while foraging. While most species in this category are big and tall, other waders, including Black-necked Stilts, Avocets, and bitterns, are shorter and medium-sized. Here are the common bird families or species that fall within this category:   


Seabirds

This group spans a wide variety of birds, but while sea is in the name, some species like gulls and cormorants can be found around freshwater and even far inland. Frigatebirds and petrels, on the other hand, live most of their lives out at sea. (A special adaptation allows them to drink seawater.) Here are the common bird families or species that fall within this category: 


Kingfishers

Sporting heavy, long bills, blocky heads, and a bad case of bedhead, these small to medium-sized birds are typically spotted on limbs overhanging freshwater ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers, where the suddenly dive down to catch unsuspecting prey. In flight, they are noisy, producing raucous rattles as they glide over the water. Kingfishers fall into a category all their own: 


Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers hardly need an introduction. Coming in a wide variety of sizes and colors, you're most likely to see these birds hitched to the side of a tree carving out a hole or in search of bugs. But not all woodpeckers are tree-clingers, and some, especially the ant-loving Northern Flicker, are more likely to be found on the ground. Woodpeckers fall into a category all their own: 


Hummingbirds

Impossible to mistake for any other type of bird, hummingbirds are as extraordinary as they are entertaining. Of the more than 350 species found across the Western Hemisphere, only 15 occur regularly north of the Mexican border. Of those, only one species, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, breeds east of the Mississippi. All the rest can be seen throughout the American West. Hummingbirds fall into a category all their own: 


Ground Birds, Game Birds, and Doves/Pigeons

If you think to yourself, "that bird sure is round," then it's probably one of these species. Ranging from smaller birds like the Northern Bobwhite and California Quail to chicken-sized Chachalacas and long-tailed Ring-necked Pheasants, most of these birds can be found foraging and roosting on the ground, or not far from it. Here are the common bird families or species that fall within these categories: