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The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. The study of birds is called ornithology. Birds are feathered theropod dinosaurs and constitute the only known living dinosaurs.
The role of some species of birds as pests has been well known, particularly in agriculture. Granivorous birds such as the queleas in Africa are among the most numerous birds in the world, and foraging flocks can cause devastation. [107] [108] Many insectivorous birds are also noted as beneficial in agriculture.
Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony. A group of birds congregating for rest is called a communal roost. Approximately 13% of all bird species nest colonially. [110] Nesting colonies are very common among seabirds on cliffs and islands.
The smallest amphibian (and vertebrate) in the world is a microhylid frog from New Guinea (Paedophryne amauensis) first discovered in 2012. It has an average length of 7.7 mm (0.30 in) and is part of a genus that contains four of the world's ten smallest frog species. [39]
Flamingos or flamingoes [a] (/ f l ə ˈ m ɪ ŋ ɡ oʊ z /) are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean), and two species native to Afro-Eurasia. A group of flamingoes is ...
The 12th edition included 931 bird species divided into 6 orders and 78 genera. [5] [15] The 12th edition is cited as the authority for 257 modern species of which only 25 have been retained in their original genus. [10] There are now believed to be around 10,000 extant species. [16] [17] Linnaeus described the class Aves as:
The rest of the vertebrate species are tetrapods, a single lineage that includes amphibians (with roughly 7,000 species); mammals (with approximately 5,500 species); and reptiles and birds (with about 20,000 species divided evenly between the two classes).
[14] [15] The bee hummingbird – only 6 centimetres (2.4 in) long and weighing about 2 grams (0.071 oz) – is the world's smallest bird and smallest warm-blooded vertebrate. [ 14 ] [ 16 ] Hummingbirds have compact bodies with relatively long, bladelike wings having anatomical structure enabling helicopter -like flight in any direction ...