What Are Songbirds? Definition And Common Songbirds

A Magpie is a type of songbird.

Songbirds are one of the most common types of birds in the world. Here is a short definition of what they are and some common ones.

It seems like whenever I go outside I hear birds chirping and singing. Sometimes it seems as if all birds in the world sing and make noise. But, not all birds sing. In fact there is a big group or order (classification system of life) of birds that are called songbirds. Songbirds include many of the birds we are familiar with such as Robins, Bluejays, and Crows. Here is a bit of information that explains what are songbirds and many common ones you probably know.

What Are The Main Types Of Birds?

There are thousands upon thousands of birds in the world. It is estimated that there are 10,000 species of birds in the world. That is a lot of different kinds of birds!

All of those birds all share certain characteristics that make them birds as opposed to a mammal or amphibian.

However, birds can be arranged into broad groupings based on their common traits and features. Some of the different types of birds include birds of prey, songbirds, water birds, wading birds, ocean or sea birds, and game birds.

What Exactly Is A Songbird?

Songbirds all belong to the order Passeriformes or perching birds. All of these birds have the ability to sing or make songs.

This does not mean that all songbirds make beautiful, long, melodic songs. They all can sing in one way or another, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their songs are nice to our ears.

Nearly half of the birds in the world, about 4,000 species, are types of songbirds!

On a side note, both male and female birds sing. It’s not just the males that make all that noise.