Classification

Annotated classification

• Order Charadriiformes

  Palate schizognathous; upper jaw schizorhinal (except Burhinidae and Pluvianus); lachrymal bone fused to ectethmoid; cervical vertebrae 15 or 16; dorsal vertebrae opisthocoelous or heterocoelous; two carotid arteries (except Synthliborhamphus); oil gland feathered; syrinx (vocal organ) tracheobronchial; wing diastataxic (except Philohela); aftershaft present; down feathers present on adults. Eggs usually pyriform (that is, somewhat pointed at one end). Chicks downy and nidifugous, pseudonidifugous, or nidicolous. Approximately 86 genera, about 370 species; worldwide.

  • Suborder Charadrii

    Hypotarsus complex (with canals), coracoid bones usually separate, depressions for supraorbital grooves usually small or absent; basipterygoid processes and occipital foramina usually present; furcula without hypocleideum; adult downs on pterylae only. Young nidifugous (precocious).

    • Family Jacanidae (jacanas)

      Small to medium birds with showy plumage, moderately long, straight bills, and long legs. Some with wattles or lappets, a horny forehead plate, and wing spurs. Extremely elongated toes and long, straight claws. Occipital foramina and supraorbital grooves lacking; coracoids overlapping; rectrices 10. Females larger than males. 8 species; worldwide tropical and subtropical; length about 16–53.5 cm (6–21 inches).

    • Family Rostratulidae (painted snipe)

      Small birds with cryptically patterned plumage, long slender bill, and moderately long legs. Female larger and brighter than male. Occipital foramina present; sternum narrow, with single pair of notches. Crop present in Rostratula; trachea convoluted in female. 2 genera, 2 species: 1 in southern South America, 1 in Africa, southern and eastern Asia, Australia. Length 19–24 cm (7–9 inches).

    • Family Haematopodidae (oystercatchers)

      Medium-sized birds with black, brown, or white plumage in bold patterns or solid blackish brown. Bill long and wedge-shaped, bright red; legs moderately long, stout. Three toes. Supraorbital grooves large; tarsus covered with small, hexagonal scales. 11 species, inhabiting most temperate and tropical seacoasts, and inland water bodies in Europe and Asia; length 38–51 cm (15–20 inches).

    • Family Recurvirostridae (avocets, stilts, and ibisbills)

      Moderately large birds with long bills, legs, and necks. Plumage in bold, simple patterns of black and white, gray, chestnut, or buff. Bill straight, recurved, or decurved. Toes webbed in Recurvirostra. Legs covered with reticulate scales. Plumage of underparts dense. About 3 genera, approximately 11 species worldwide in temperate and tropical regions, 1 species in the Himalayas; length 29–48 cm (11–19 inches).

    • Family Charadriidae (plovers, lapwings)

      Small to medium-sized birds. Mostly with bold (but often concealing) plumage patterns of solid blacks, gray, browns, and white; many with one or two chest bands. Some with wattles and wing spurs. Bill usually short, with a swollen tip. Legs moderately long to long, with reticulate scale pattern. Hind toe usually absent. 66 species; worldwide; length about 15–40 cm (6–16 inches).

    • Family Pedionomidae (plains wanderers)

      Similar to button quails (Turnicidae) but differs in the following details: hallux present; 2 carotid arteries; wing diastataxic; eggs pointed. 1 species, confined to dry plains of Australia; body length about 16 cm (6 inches).

    • Family Scolopacidae (snipe, woodcock, sandpipers, turnstones, and allies)

      Small to medium-sized birds, mostly finely patterned in buff, browns, chestnut, black, gray, and white. Bill moderate to very long and slender; straight, decurved, or recurved; one with spatulate tip. Legs short to long, usually with transverse scales front and back. Hind toe usually present and elevated. 86 species; worldwide; length 12.5–61 cm (5–24 inches).

    • Family Phalaropodidae (phalaropes)

      Small, densely feathered birds with straight slender bills, moderately long legs, lobed toes, and flattened tarsi. Females larger and brighter than males. 3 species; Arctic to temperate regions of Northern Hemisphere; winter at sea and in South America; length 19–25 cm (7.5–10 inches).

    • Family Dromadidae (crab plovers)

      Medium-sized bird of white and black plumage. Legs long and covered with reticulate scales. Bill strong, laterally compressed, and pointed. Nostrils pervious; basipterygoid processes absent; 15 cervical vertebrae; dorsal vertebrae heterocoelous. 1 species; coasts of Indian Ocean and southern Red Sea; length 38 cm (15 inches).

    • Family Burhinidae (thickknees)

      Medium-sized birds with cryptically patterned plumage of brown, gray-brown, black, and white. Bill stout, short to moderately long. Tarsus reticulate. Upper jaw holorhinal; basipterygoid processes and occipital foramina absent; coracoids overlapping. Large eyes. 9 species; temperate and tropical regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Australia; New World tropics; length 35–52 cm (14–20 inches).

    • Family Glareolidae (pratincoles and coursers)

      Pratincoles short-billed, long-winged, with medium-long legs and forked tails; coursers have longer bills, shorter wings and tail, long legs. Plumage patterned in olive, brown, gray, chestnut, black, white. Legs have rectangular scales front and back. Occipital fontanelles absent; basipterygoid processes absent in adult; dorsal vertebrae heterocoelous; 15 cervical vertebrae. 18 species; Africa, southern Eurasia, and Australia; length 15–25 cm (6–10 inches).

    • Family Thinocoridae (seedsnipes)

      Small to medium-sized birds, cryptically patterned in brown, buff, gray, white, and black. Bill short and conical, legs short, wings long and pointed. Nostrils operculate; crop present; vomer broad; basisphenoidal rostrum thick; no basipterygoid processes or occipital fontanelles. 4 species; southern South America and north in Andes; length 17–28 cm (7–11 inches).

    • Family Chionididae (sheathbills)

      White birds of moderate size, short legs, and stout bill, with horny sheath over nostrils. No occipital fontanelles or basipterygoid processes; large supraorbital grooves; thick plumage; short carpal spurs on wing. 2 species; inhabit islands of extreme southern Atlantic and Indian oceans; length 35–43 cm (14–17 inches).

  • Suborder Lari

    Hypotarsus simple (grooved but without canals); coracoids in contact (except in Stercorariidae); supraorbital grooves large; basipterygoid processes absent (present but small in young); occipital foramina absent in adults; furcula with hypocleideum; adult downs on both pterylae and apteria; anterior toes usually fully webbed, hind toe absent or minute; young tardily nidifugous (leave nest when half grown).

    • Family Stercorariidae (skuas, jaegers)

      Medium-sized to large birds of solid brown, or brown, white, and black plumage. Bill moderately long, stout, hooked, with a horny dorsal plate. Wings long and pointed; tail with elongate central feathers in some. Legs rather short, toes webbed. Ceca well developed; coracoids not overlapping. 7 species; Arctic and Antarctic; length 43–61 cm (17–24 inches).

    • Family Laridae (gulls, terns)

      Small to large birds, with solid plumage patterns of white, gray, black or sooty brown. Legs, eyes, and bill often brightly coloured in red or yellow. Wings long and pointed; tails of terns often long and deeply forked. Legs moderate to short. Bill short to moderately long; stout and somewhat hooked in gulls, more slender and pointed in terns. Front toes webbed. Sternum with 2 pairs of notches, ceca small. Rhamphotheca simple (without horny plates). 97 species; worldwide; length 20–76 cm (8–30 inches).

    • Family Rynchopidae (skimmers)

      Medium-sized birds with long, pointed wings, short legs, and a large bill. Bill deep and extremely flattened, lower mandible knifelike and longer than upper. Plumage black or blackish brown above, white below. Bill red or yellow, sometimes with black tip. Front toes webbed. Pupil closes to vertical slit. 3 species; irregularly distributed in tropical and temperate rivers, lakes, and seashores; length 37–51 cm (14.5–20 inches).

  • Suborder Alcae

    Large supraorbital grooves with intervening space narrowed to ridge; basipterygoid processes absent in adults; occipital fontanelles present; haemapophysis of dorsal vertebrae large; sternum long and narrow with long, rounded metasternum. Anterior toes fully webbed, hind toe absent. Wing bones flattened. Young downy, nidicolous or nidifugous.

    • Family Alcidae (auks, murres, puffins, and relatives)

      Small to large, dense-plumaged, short-winged, aquatic birds. Plumage black, gray, or brown, usually white below. Many have ornamental bill and head plumes. Legs set far back; tail short. 23 species; coasts of northern oceans; length 16–76 cm (6–30 inches).

Critical appraisal

The charadriiforms are thought to be related to the orders Gruiformes and Columbiformes. Certain intermediate or aberrant families have been removed from or added to the Charadriiformes by various taxonomists. The Belgian ornithologist R. Verheyen allied the Jacanidae with two gruiform families (Rhynochetidae, Eurypygidae) to form an order related to the rails and Charadriiformes. English ornithologist P.R. Lowe united the charadriiform and gruiform birds into a single order—the Telmatomorphae—placing the Thinocoridae (seedsnipe) as a link between the gruiform and charadriine members.

At present, there is some molecular evidence that supports the inclusion of the sandgrouse (family Pteroclidae) in this order; however, this is a matter of some debate. On anatomical grounds, the sandgrouse resemble the pigeons and were therefore once placed in the same order (Columbiformes). Their drinking behaviour only partly resembles that of the pigeons, and other behaviour in which the two groups are similar is not unique to either. Some ornithologists suggest that the sandgrouse are nearer to the plovers; however, the sandgrouse are currently assigned to their own order (Pteroclidiformes).

Other families that have been variously placed in the Charadriiformes or Gruiformes are the Otididae (bustards), Burhinidae, and Glareolidae. The classification of the members of the order has stabilized, however, owing to consistent results from modern biochemical and anatomical studies. The assignment from the Gruiformes of the plains wanderer (Pedionomidae) represents the most recent major addition to this order.