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List of birds of Azerbaijan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Azerbaijan is a country in Asia and Europe that is home to many different kinds of birds. In fact, over 423 types of birds have been seen here! This list helps us learn about these amazing birds.

We use a special system called taxonomy to organize the birds. This system helps scientists around the world agree on bird names and groups. The list follows the The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World from 2022.

Some birds are marked with special tags:

  • (A) Accidental - This means the bird usually lives somewhere else and only visits Azerbaijan by chance, very rarely.
  • (I) Introduced - This bird was brought to Azerbaijan by people, either on purpose or by accident.


Contents

Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

This family includes all the ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are amazing swimmers! They have webbed feet, flat beaks, and special oily feathers that keep them dry in the water.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Quails

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

These birds usually live on land. They are often plump with wide, short wings. You might see them walking around rather than flying high.

Flamingos: Pink Wading Birds

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are tall, pink wading birds that love to live in groups. They can be 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) tall! Flamingos have unique beaks that they use upside-down to filter tiny shellfish and algae from the water.

Grebes: Diving Birds

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are freshwater birds that are excellent at diving. They have special lobed toes that help them swim. Because their feet are far back on their bodies, they look a bit clumsy when they walk on land.

Pigeons and Doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with strong bodies, short necks, and thin beaks. You can often see them in cities and towns.

Sandgrouse: Desert Birds

Order: Pterocliformes   Family: Pteroclidae

Sandgrouse have small heads like pigeons but strong, compact bodies. They have long, pointed wings and fly very fast. They often fly in groups to find water in the early morning and evening.

Bustards: Large Ground Birds

Order: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae

Bustards are large birds that live on the ground, mostly in dry, open areas. They eat both plants and insects and build their nests on the ground. They have strong legs and walk steadily, looking for food.

Cuckoos: Unique Nesters

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

The cuckoo family includes cuckoos and roadrunners. These birds come in different sizes, with slim bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Some cuckoos are known for laying their eggs in other birds' nests!

Nightjars: Night Flyers

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night. They usually make their nests on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very small beaks. Their soft feathers help them blend in with tree bark or leaves.

Swifts: Masters of Flight

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts spend most of their lives flying! They have very short legs and almost never land on the ground. They usually perch on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings that look like a boomerang.

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots: Shy Water Birds

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

This family includes rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. They usually live in thick plants near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are often shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes, perfect for walking on soft ground.

Cranes: Tall and Graceful

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large birds with long legs and long necks. When they fly, their necks are stretched out, which is different from herons. Many cranes have special, loud "dances" they do when they are trying to find a mate.

  • Demoiselle crane, Anthropoides virgo
  • Common crane, Grus grus

Thick-knees: Waders of Dry Lands

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Burhinidae

Thick-knees are wading birds, but many prefer dry or semi-dry places. They are medium to large birds with strong, dark or yellow-black beaks and big yellow eyes. Their feathers help them blend in with their surroundings.

Stilts and Avocets: Long-Legged Waders

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

This family includes avocets and stilts. Avocets have long legs and long, upward-curved beaks. Stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight beaks. They are often seen wading in shallow water.

Oystercatchers: Shellfish Eaters

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers are large, noisy birds that look a bit like plovers. They have strong beaks that they use to open or break open molluscs like oysters.

  • Eurasian oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus

Plovers and Lapwings: Open Country Birds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

This family includes plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks, and long, pointed wings. You can find them in open areas, often near water.

Sandpipers and Allies: Shorebird Diversity

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large and varied family of shorebirds, including sandpipers, curlews, godwits, and snipes. Most of them eat small insects and worms they find in mud or soil. Their different leg and beak lengths allow many species to feed in the same areas without competing for food.

Pratincoles and Coursers: Waders of the Plains

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Glareolidae

This family has two main groups: pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings, and forked tails; and coursers, which have long legs, short wings, and long, downward-curved beaks.

Skuas and Jaegers: Ocean Hunters

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Skuas and jaegers are medium to large birds, usually grey or brown. They nest on the ground in cooler parts of the world and travel long distances. They are known for chasing other birds to steal their food.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers: Coastal Birds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are usually grey or white with black markings and webbed feet. Terns are often grey or white with black heads. Most terns dive into the water to catch fish.

Loons: Diving Water Birds

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

Loons are water birds found in North America and northern Europe. They are about the size of a large duck and are excellent divers.

Storks: Tall Waders

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large wading birds with long legs, long necks, and strong beaks. They don't sing, but they communicate by clattering their beaks together at their nests. Their nests can be very big and are often used for many years. Many storks travel long distances.

Cormorants and Shags: Fish Eaters

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

This family includes cormorants and shags, which are medium to large seabirds that eat fish. Most of them have dark feathers, but some are black and white or even colorful.

Pelicans: Birds with Pouches

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds famous for the big pouch under their beak. They have webbed feet with four toes, which helps them swim.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns: Wading Hunters

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

This family includes bitterns, herons, and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns are usually shorter and more secretive. When they fly, they pull their necks back, unlike storks or ibises.

Ibises and Spoonbills: Soaring Waders

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They are large birds that live on land and in water. They have long, wide wings and are strong fliers. Even though they are big, they are very good at soaring high in the sky.

Osprey: The Fish Eagle

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The family Pandionidae has only one bird: the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor that specializes in eating fish. You can find ospreys all over the world!

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites: Birds of Prey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

This family includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds are powerful hunters with strong, hooked beaks for tearing meat, strong legs, sharp talons, and amazing eyesight.

Barn-Owls: Night Hunters

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with big heads and a special heart-shaped face. They have long, strong legs with powerful claws.

Owls: Silent Hunters of the Night

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are mostly solitary birds of prey that hunt at night. They have large eyes that face forward, excellent hearing, a hooked beak, and a circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Hoopoes: Crested Birds

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae

Hoopoes are unique birds with black, white, and orangey-pink feathers. They have a large, fan-like crest on their heads that they can raise and lower.

  • Eurasian hoopoe, Upupa epops

Kingfishers: Brightly Colored Fishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed beaks, short legs, and stubby tails. They are often brightly colored and are known for diving into water to catch fish.

Bee-eaters: Insect Catchers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Meropidae

Bee-eaters are colorful birds with slender bodies and often long tail feathers. They have long, curved beaks and pointed wings. They look a bit like swallows when flying. As their name suggests, they love to eat insects, especially bees!

Rollers: Colorful Perchers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae

Rollers are similar in size to crows but are related to kingfishers and bee-eaters. They are very colorful, with blues and browns being common. They get their name from their rolling flight display.

Woodpeckers: Tree Drummers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, and stiff tails. They have long tongues to catch insects. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks to find food or make nests.

Falcons and Caracaras: Fast Hunters

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falcons are birds of prey that hunt during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks, not their claws. They are known for their incredible speed.

Old World Parrots: Colorful and Smart

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

Parrots are known for their strong, curved beaks, upright posture, and clawed feet. Many are brightly colored. They range in size from about 3 inches (8 cm) to over 3 feet (1 meter) long. Old World parrots are found in Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Old World Orioles: Bright Songbirds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Oriolidae

Old World orioles are colorful songbirds. They are not related to the orioles you might find in North America.

Shrikes: Butcher Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are small birds famous for catching other birds and small animals. They sometimes impale their prey on thorns or barbed wire, like a butcher, which gives them the nickname "butcher birds." Their beaks are hooked, like a bird of prey.

Crows, Jays, and Magpies: Intelligent Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, jays, magpies, and more. Corvids are larger than many other songbirds, and some of the bigger species are very intelligent.

Tits and Chickadees: Small Woodland Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

Tits are small, sturdy woodland birds with short, strong beaks. They are very adaptable and eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Penduline-Tits: Woven Nests

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Remizidae

Penduline-tits are small songbirds related to the true tits. They eat insects and are known for building amazing, hanging, bag-like nests.

Larks: Singing Ground Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small ground birds known for their beautiful songs and impressive display flights. Most larks have plain feathers. They eat insects and seeds.

Bearded Reedling: Reed Bed Dweller

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Panuridae

This unique bird, the only one in its family, lives in reed beds across Europe and Asia.

Reed Warblers and Allies: Hidden Singers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acrocephalidae

These "warblers" are usually larger than other warblers. They are often plain brown or yellowish and live in open woodlands, reed beds, or tall grass. They are found mostly in Europe and Asia.

Grassbirds and Allies: Small Insect Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Locustellidae

Grassbirds are small songbirds that eat insects. They are found mainly in Europe, Asia, and Australia. They are small, often brownish, and have long, pointed tails.

Swallows: Aerial Acrobats

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

Swallows are built for flying! They have slim bodies, long pointed wings, and short beaks with wide mouths for catching insects in the air. Their feet are better for perching than walking.

Leaf Warblers: Small Tree Dwellers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Phylloscopidae

Leaf warblers are small birds that eat insects. They live mostly in Europe and Asia. They come in various sizes and are often green above and yellow below, or more greyish-brown.

Bush Warblers and Allies: Secretive Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Scotocercidae

The birds in this family are found across Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. They can be quite secretive and hard to spot.

Long-tailed Tits: Tiny Tail Waggers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Aegithalidae

Long-tailed tits are small songbirds with medium to long tails. They build amazing woven, bag-like nests in trees. They eat a mix of insects and other foods.

  • Long-tailed tit, Aegithalidae caudatus

Sylviid Warblers and Allies: Varied Songbirds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sylviidae

This family includes small songbirds that eat insects. They are mostly found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Many have plain looks but beautiful, distinctive songs.

Kinglets: Tiny Crowns

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

Kinglets, also called crests, are very small birds. They are often grouped with Old World warblers but are sometimes given their own family because they also look like titmice.

Wallcreeper: Rock Climber

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tichodromidae

The wallcreeper is a small bird related to the nuthatch family. It has striking crimson, grey, and black feathers. It's known for climbing on rocks and cliffs.

Nuthatches: Head-First Climbers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have a special ability to climb down trees head first, which most other birds can't do! They have big heads, short tails, and strong beaks and feet.

Treecreepers: Bark Explorers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown on top and white underneath. They have thin, curved beaks that they use to pull insects out of tree bark. Like woodpeckers, they use their stiff tail feathers to support themselves on vertical trees.

Wrens: Small and Loud

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are mostly small birds that are hard to see, but they have very loud songs! These birds have short wings and thin, curved beaks. Many species hold their tails straight up. They all eat insects.

Dippers: Underwater Walkers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cinclidae

Dippers are unique perching birds that live near water. They are named for their bobbing or "dipping" movements. They can even walk underwater to find food!

Starlings: Social Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized songbirds. They fly strongly and directly, and they love to be in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a shiny, metallic look.

Thrushes and Allies: Ground Foragers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of songbirds found mainly in Europe and Asia. They are plump, soft-feathered, and small to medium-sized. They eat insects and sometimes fruits, often finding food on the ground. Many thrushes have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers: Insect Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large group of small songbirds from Europe, Asia, and Africa. They mostly live in trees and eat insects. These birds have a wide variety of appearances, but many have quiet songs and harsh calls.

Waxwings: Berries and Insects

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are songbirds with soft, silky feathers and unique red tips on some of their wing feathers. These tips look like sealing wax, which gives them their name. They live in northern forests and eat insects in summer and berries in winter.

Hypocolius: A Unique Middle Eastern Bird

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hypocoliidae

The grey hypocolius is a small bird from the Middle East. It looks a bit like a waxwing with its soft feathers. Most of its body is a uniform grey, but the males have a black triangle around their eyes.

Accentors: Palearctic Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Prunellidae

Accentors are the only bird family that lives completely in the Palearctic region (Europe and Asia). They are small, rather plain birds that look a bit like sparrows.

Old World Sparrows: Common Seed Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small songbirds. They are usually small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and strong beaks. Sparrows mainly eat seeds, but they also enjoy small insects.

Wagtails and Pipits: Ground Feeders

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

This family includes wagtails and pipits. They are slender, small songbirds with medium to long tails. They find their food, mostly insects, on the ground in open areas.

Finches and Allies: Seed-Eating Songbirds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are songbirds that eat seeds. They are small to medium-sized and have strong, often cone-shaped beaks. They fly with a bouncy motion, flapping and then gliding with their wings closed. Most finches sing very well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings: Open Grassland Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

This group of songbirds used to be with the New World sparrows. They are usually found in open grassy areas.

Old World Buntings: Distinctive Head Patterns

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Emberizidae

Buntings are a large family of songbirds that eat seeds. They have uniquely shaped beaks. Many bunting species have special patterns on their heads.

See also

  • List of birds
  • Lists of birds by region
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List of birds of Azerbaijan Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.