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List of birds of Georgia (country) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a list of all the amazing bird species found in the country of Georgia! There are a total of 424 different kinds of birds that have been seen here.

This list helps you learn about these birds. You'll see their common names and their scientific names (like their special "science name"). Sometimes, you'll see a special tag:

  • (A) Accidental - This means the bird doesn't usually live in Georgia. It's a rare visitor, maybe just passing through by accident!

Contents

Ducks, Geese, and Swans: Water Birds!

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are perfect for life in the water! They have webbed feet to help them swim, flat beaks, and feathers that shed water easily because of a special oily coating.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Their Relatives

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

These birds usually live on land. They are often plump with wide, short wings.

Flamingos: Pink Wading Birds

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are tall, social wading birds, usually about 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall. They live in groups and filter their food, like tiny shellfish and algae, from the water. Their unique beaks are used upside-down to separate food from mud.

Grebes: Diving Masters

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-sized birds that dive in freshwater. They have special lobed toes, making them excellent swimmers and divers. However, their feet are set far back on their bodies, so they aren't very graceful on land.

Pigeons and Doves: Common Birds

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are sturdy birds with short necks and thin beaks. They have a fleshy area at the base of their bill called a cere.

Sandgrouse: Desert Dwellers

Order: Pterocliformes   Family: Pteroclidae

Sandgrouse have small heads like pigeons but strong, compact bodies. They have long, pointed wings and fly fast and straight. They often fly in flocks to find water in the mornings and evenings. Their legs are feathered down to their toes.

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 walk with strong legs and large toes, pecking for food. Many have interesting mating dances!

Cuckoos: Unique Nesting Habits

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

This family includes cuckoos and roadrunners. These birds have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Some cuckoos in the Old World are known for being brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in other birds' nests!

Nightjars: Nocturnal Hunters

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night. They usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short beaks. Their soft feathers are camouflaged to blend in with tree bark or leaves.

  • Eurasian nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus
  • Egyptian nightjar, Caprimulgus aegyptius (A)

Swifts: Built for Flight

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs and almost never land on the ground. Instead, they perch on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings that look like a crescent moon.

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots: Shy Water Birds

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

This large 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. They tend to have short, rounded wings and aren't strong fliers.

Cranes: Elegant Dancers

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large birds with long legs and long necks. When they fly, their necks are stretched out, unlike herons, which pull their necks back. Many cranes have amazing and loud courtship dances!

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

Thick-knees: Waders of Dry Lands

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Burhinidae

Thick-knees are a group of wading birds. They are medium to large with strong black or yellow-black beaks, big yellow eyes, and feathers that help them blend in. Even though they are waders, most prefer dry or semi-dry places.

  • Eurasian thick-knee, Burhinus oedicnemus

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.

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 smash or pry open molluscs (like clams or oysters).

  • Eurasian oystercatcher, Haematopus ostralegus

Plovers and Lapwings: Open Country Birds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

This family includes plovers 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 all over the world, usually near water.

Sandpipers and Their Relatives: Shoreline Foragers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, and phalaropes. Most of them eat small bugs 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: Wading Birds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Glareolidae

This family includes pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings, and long forked tails. It also includes coursers, which have long legs, short wings, and long, downward-curved beaks.

Skuas and Jaegers: Sea Hunters

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Skuas and jaegers are generally medium to large birds, often grey or brown with white marks on their wings. They nest on the ground in cooler regions and travel long distances.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers: Coastal Birds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are usually grey or white, often with black on their heads or wings. They have strong, longish beaks and webbed feet. Terns are typically medium to large seabirds, often grey or white with black on their heads. Most terns dive for fish, but some pick insects from the water's surface. Many terns live for a long time, sometimes over 30 years!

Loons: Aquatic Birds

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

Loons (also called divers in Europe) are water birds found in North America and northern Europe. They are about the size of a large duck or small goose, and look a bit like them when swimming, but they are not related at all!

Northern Storm-Petrels: Smallest Seabirds

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

Northern storm-petrels are related to petrels and are the smallest seabirds. They eat tiny crustaceans and small fish from the water's surface, often while hovering. Their flight is fluttery, sometimes like a bat.

  • European storm-petrel, Hydrobates pelagicus (A)

Shearwaters and Petrels: Ocean Wanderers

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

These are medium-sized "true petrels." They have nostrils that are joined together and a long outer primary feather (a main wing feather).

Storks: Tall Wading Birds

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with strong, long beaks. Storks don't make sounds with their voices, but they communicate by clattering their beaks at the nest. Their nests can be very big and are often used for many years. Many stork species 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. They mostly have dark feathers, but some are black and white, and a few are colorful.

Pelicans: Birds with Pouches

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are large water birds with a special pouch under their beak. Like other birds in their group, they have webbed feet with four toes.

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 tend to have shorter necks and are more cautious. When flying, birds in this family pull their necks back, which is different from storks or ibises.

Ibises and Spoonbills: Unique Beaks

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. Despite their size, they are very good at soaring in the air.

Osprey: The Fish Eagle

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

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

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites: Powerful Hunters

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

This family includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds of prey have strong, hooked beaks to tear meat from their prey. They also have powerful legs, sharp talons, and excellent eyesight.

Barn-Owls: Heart-Shaped Faces

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 talons (claws).

Owls: Nighttime Hunters

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

The typical owls are usually solitary birds of prey that hunt at night. They have large eyes that face forward and big ears. They also have a hawk-like beak and a clear circle of feathers around each eye, called a facial disk.

Hoopoes: Birds with Crests

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae

Hoopoes are known for their black, white, and orangey-pink feathers. They have a large crest of feathers on their head that they can raise up.

  • Eurasian hoopoe, Upupa epops

Kingfishers: Brightly Colored Fishermen

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed beaks, short legs, and stubby tails.

Bee-eaters: Insect Eaters

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Meropidae

Bee-eaters are a group of birds known for their rich, colorful feathers, slender bodies, and often long central tail feathers. They all have long, downturned beaks and pointed wings. From far away, they might look like swallows.

Rollers: Colorful Crow-Sized Birds

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae

Rollers are similar in size and shape to crows, but they are more closely related to kingfishers and bee-eaters. They are very colorful, mostly blue and brown. Their two inner front toes are joined, but the outer toe is not.

Woodpeckers: Tree Tappers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues. They use their tongues to catch insects. Some woodpeckers have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while others have only three toes. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and Caracaras: Fast Predators

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

This family includes birds of prey that are active during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks instead of their talons (claws).

Old World Parrots: Colorful and Smart

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittaculidae

Parrots have strong, curved beaks, an upright way of standing, strong legs, and feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward. Many parrots are brightly colored. They range in size from about 8 cm (3.1 in) to 1 m (3.3 ft) long. Old World parrots are found in Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Old World Orioles: Bright Passerine Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Oriolidae

Old World orioles are colorful songbirds. They are not related to the orioles found in the New World (Americas).

Shrikes: Impaling Hunters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are songbirds known for catching other birds and small animals. They sometimes impale (stick) the uneaten parts of their prey onto thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.

Crows, Jays, and Magpies: Smart Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, and nutcrackers. Corvids are larger than average songbirds, and some of the bigger species are very intelligent!

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice: Small Woodland Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

The Paridae family mostly includes small, stocky woodland birds with short, strong beaks. Some have crests on their heads. They are adaptable birds that eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Penduline-Tits: Tiny Insect Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Remizidae

Penduline-tits are a group of small songbirds related to the true tits. They eat insects.

  • Eurasian penduline-tit, Remiz pendulinus

Larks: Ground Birds with Songs

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small ground birds known for their often fancy songs and display flights. Most larks look fairly plain. They eat insects and seeds.

Bearded Reedling: Reed Bed Specialist

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Panuridae

This species is the only one in its family. It lives in reed beds across Europe and Asia.

Reed Warblers and Allies: Plain but Vocal

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Acrocephalidae

Birds in this family are usually quite large for "warblers." Most are plain olive-brown on top and yellow to beige underneath. They are often found in open woodlands, reed beds, or tall grass.

Grassbirds and Allies: Small Insect Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Locustellidae

Locustellidae are a family of small songbirds that eat insects. They are mostly found in Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. They are small birds with tails that are usually long and pointed, and they tend to be dull brownish or buffy all over.

Swallows: Aerial Feeders

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

The Hirundinidae family is made up of birds that are built for catching food while flying. They have slender, streamlined bodies, long, pointed wings, and short beaks with a wide opening. Their feet are better for perching than walking.

Leaf Warblers: Small Insectivores

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Phylloscopidae

Leaf warblers are a family of small birds that eat insects. They are mostly found in Eurasia. These birds come in various sizes, often with green feathers on top and yellow underneath, or more muted greyish-green to greyish-brown colors.

Bush Warblers and Allies: Diverse Songbirds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Scotocercidae

The birds in this family are found across Africa, Asia, and Polynesia. Scientists are still studying their exact family tree.

Long-tailed Tits: Nests in Trees

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Aegithalidae

Long-tailed tits are small songbirds with medium to long tails. They build woven, bag-shaped nests in trees. Most of them eat a mix of food, including insects.

  • Long-tailed tit, Aegithalidae caudatus

Sylviid Warblers, Parrotbills, and Allies: Varied Appearance

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sylviidae

This family is a group of small songbirds that eat insects. They mostly breed in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Most of them don't look very special, but many have unique songs.

Kinglets: Tiny Birds with Crowns

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

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

Nuthatches: Climbing Down Trees

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have a special ability to climb down trees headfirst, which most other birds can't do! Nuthatches 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, pointed, downward-curved beaks that they use to pull insects from tree bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which help them support themselves on vertical trees.

Wrens: Small and Loud

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are mostly small and hard to see, except for their loud songs! These birds have short wings and thin, downward-curved beaks. Several species often hold their tails straight up. All wrens eat insects.

Dippers: Underwater Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cinclidae

Dippers are a group of perching birds that live in watery places. They are named for their bobbing or "dipping" movements.

Starlings: Social Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized songbirds. They fly strongly and directly, and they are very social, often found in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a metallic shine.

Thrushes and Allies: Ground Feeders

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of songbirds mostly found in the Old World. They are plump, soft-feathered, small to medium-sized birds that eat insects or sometimes a mix of foods. They often feed on the ground, and many have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers: Insect Catchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large group of small songbirds native to the Old World. They are mainly small birds that live in trees and eat insects. These birds look very different from each other, but most have quiet songs and harsh calls.

Waxwings: Berries and Silky Feathers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

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

Accentors: Plain but Unique

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Prunellidae

Accentors are the only bird family found completely in the Palearctic region. They are small, rather plain birds that look a bit like sparrows.

Old World Sparrows: Seed Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

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

Wagtails and Pipits: Ground Foragers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

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

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies: Seed Specialists

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are songbirds that eat seeds. They are small to medium-large with strong beaks, usually cone-shaped. All finches have twelve tail feathers and nine primary wing feathers. They have a bouncy flight pattern, flapping and then gliding with closed wings. Most finches sing well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings: Open Field Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

This group of songbirds was traditionally placed with New World sparrows. However, they are different in many ways and are usually found in open, grassy areas.

Old World Buntings: Distinctive Head Patterns

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Emberizidae

The emberizids are a large family of songbirds. They eat seeds and have uniquely shaped beaks. Many species in this family have special patterns on their heads.

See also

  • List of birds
  • Lists of birds by region
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List of birds of Georgia (country) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.