List of birds of North Korea
Encyclopedia
This is a list of the bird species recorded in North Korea. The avifauna of North Korea
includes a total of 318 species, none of which are introduced, accidental or endemic. 1 species listed is extirpated
in North Korea and is not included in the species count.
This list's taxonomic
treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of Clements
's 5th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflects this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account.
The following tags have been used to highlight certain relevant categories. The commonly occurring, native, species do not fall into any of these categories.
Family: Gaviidae
Loons, known as Divers in Europe, are group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Europe. They are the size of a large duck or small goose, which they somewhat resembles in shape when swimming, but they completely unrelated to these waterfowl. There are 5 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Podicipedidae
Grebe
s are small to medium-large sized freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes, and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. There are 20 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Procellariidae
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized 'true petrels', characterised by united nostrils with a medium septum, and a long outer functional primary. There are 75 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Hydrobatidae
The storm-petrel
s are relatives of the petrel
s, and are the smallest of sea-birds. They feed on plankton
ic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat
-like. There are 21 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
The Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium-to-large coastal, fish-eating sea-birds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black and white, and a few being colourful. There are 38 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Fregatidae
Frigatebird
s are large sea-birds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black and white or completely black, with long wings and deeply-forked tails. The males have inflatable coloured throat pouches. They do not swim or walk, and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan to body weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week. There are 5 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains the bittern
s, heron
s and egret
s. Herons and egrets are medium to large sized wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Unlike other long-necked birds suck as storks, ibises and spoonbills, members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted. There are 61 species worldwide and 10 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Ciconiidae
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory. There are 19 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Threskiornithidae
The Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibis
es and spoonbill
s. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers. There are 36 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Anatidae
The family Anatidae includes the duck
s and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese
and swan
s. These are birds that are modified for an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 131 species worldwide and 32 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Pandionidae
The Pandionidae family contains only one species, the Osprey. The Osprey is a medium large raptor
which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
Family: Accipitridae
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey and include hawk
s, eagle
s, kites
, harriers
and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. There are 233 species worldwide and 21 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Falconidae
Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their feet. There are 62 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Tetraonidae
Grouse are game birds, similar to quails and partridge. There are 18 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quail
s, partridge
s, snowcock
s, francolin
s, spurfowls, tragopan
s, monal
s, pheasant
s, peafowl
s and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they may vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings. There are 156 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Turnicidae
The buttonquails are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails.The female is the brighter of the sexes, and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young. There are 16 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Gruidae
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". There are 15 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coot
s, and gallinule
s. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs, and have long toes which are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers. There are 143 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Otididae
Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World
. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips, and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays. There are 26 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Haematopodidae
The oystercatcher
s are large and noisy plover
-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. There are 11 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Charadriidae
The family Charadriidae includes the plover
s, dotterels, and lapwing
s. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water, although there are some exceptions. There are 66 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Scolopacidae
The Scolopacidae are a large diverse family of small to medium sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlew
s, godwit
s, shanks
, tattler
s, woodcock
s, snipe
s, dowitcher
s and phalarope
s. The majority of species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 89 species worldwide and 22 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large birds seabirds and includes gull
s and kittiwake
s. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. There are 55 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Sternidae
Tern
s are a group of generally general medium to large sea-birds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25 to 30 years. There are 44 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Alcidae
Alcids are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits, however they are not related to the penguins bnd differ in being able to fly. Auks live on the open sea, only deliberately coming ashore to nest. There are 24 species worldwide and 6 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Columbidae
Pigeons and dove
s are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere
. There are 308 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoo
s, roadrunner
s and anis
. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Unlike the cuckoo species of the Old World, North American cuckoos are not brood parasites. There are 138 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Strigidae
Typical owl
s are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. There are 195 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Caprimulgidae
Nightjar
s are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills that usually nest on the ground. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves. There are 86 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Apodidae
Swift
s are small aerial birds, spending the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. There are 98 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. There are 93 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Coraciidae
Rollers resemble crow
s in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfisher
s and bee-eater
s. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not. There are 12 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Upupidae
Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head. There are 2 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Picidae
Woodpeckers are small to medium sized birds with chisel like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward, and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks. There are 218 species worldwide and 11 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Pittidae
Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, and stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills. Many, but not all, are brightly coloured. They are spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrate prey which they find there. There are 32 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Alaudidae
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds. There are 91 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Hirundinidae
The Hirundinidae family is a group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Their adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and short bills with wide gape. The feet are designed for perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base. There are 75 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Motacillidae
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country. There are 54 species worldwide and 7 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Campephagidae
The cuckoo-shrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly coloured. There are 82 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Pycnonotidae
Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.There are 130 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Regulidae
The kinglets or crests are a small group of birds often included in the Old World warblers, but frequently given family status because they also resemble the titmice
. There are 7 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Bombycillidae
The waxwing
s are a group of passerine birds characterized by soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter. There are 3 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Cinclidae
Dippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. They are named for their bobbing or dipping movements. There are 5 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Troglodytidae
The wren
s are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and a thin down-turned bill. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous. There are 80 species worldwide (of which all but one are New World species) and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Prunellidae
The accentors are in the only bird family, Prunellidae, which is completely endemic to the Palearctic
. They are small, fairly drab species superficially similar to sparrow
s. There are 13 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Turdidae
The thrushes
are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs. There are 335 species worldwide and 9 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Cisticolidae
The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub. There are 111 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Sylviidae
The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. The Sylviidae mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs. There are 291 species worldwide and 18 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Muscicapidae
Old World flycatchers are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is very varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls. There 274 species worldwide and 14 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Monarchidae
The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines, which hunt by flycatching. There are 99 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Paradoxornithidae
The parrotbills are a group of birds native to East and Southeast Asia, though feral populations are known from elsewhere. They are generally small, long-tailed birds which inhabit reedbeds and similar habitats. There are 20 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Aegithalidae
Long-tailed tits are a group of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They make woven bag nests in trees. Most eat a mixed diet that includes insects. There are 9 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Paridae
The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects. There are species 59 worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Sittidae
Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet. There are 24 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Certhiidae
Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees. There are 6 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Zosteropidae
The white-eyes are small and are mostly of undistinguished appearance, the plumage above being generally either some dull color like greenish olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests many species have a white ring around the eyes. There are 96 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Oriolidae
The Old World Orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles. There are 29 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
Family: Laniidae
Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey. There are 31 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Corvidae
The Corvidae family includes crow
s, raven
s, jay
s, chough
s, magpie
s, treepie
s, nutcracker
s, and ground jay
s. Corvids are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes. Some of the larger species show high levels of learning behavior. There are 120 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Sturnidae
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen. There are 125 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Emberizidae
The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill. In Europe, most species are named as buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as Sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns. There are species 275 worldwide and 13 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Fringillidae
Finch
es are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. There are 137 species worldwide and 16 species which occur in North Korea.
Family: Passeridae
Sparrow
s are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed-eaters, and they also consume small insects. There are 35 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
includes a total of 318 species, none of which are introduced, accidental or endemic. 1 species listed is extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
in North Korea and is not included in the species count.
This list's taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families, and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of Clements
James Clements
Dr. James Franklin Clements was an ornithologist, author and very successful businessman. He was born in New York....
's 5th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflects this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account.
The following tags have been used to highlight certain relevant categories. The commonly occurring, native, species do not fall into any of these categories.
- (Ex) Extirpated A species that no longer occurs in North Korea although populations exist elsewhere.
| Table of contents |
|---|
Non-passerines: Loons . Grebes . Shearwaters and Petrels . Storm-Petrels . Cormorants . Frigatebirds . Bitterns, Herons and Egrets . Storks . Ibises and Spoonbills . Ducks, Geese and Swans . Osprey . Hawks, Kites and Eagles . Caracaras and Falcons . Grouse . Pheasants and Partridges . Buttonquails . Cranes . Rails, Crakes, Gallinules, and Coots . Bustards . Oystercatchers . Plovers and Lapwings . Sandpipers and allies . Gulls . Terns . Auks, Murres, and Puffins . Pigeons and Doves . Cuckoos and Anis . Typical owls . Nightjars . Swifts . Kingfishers . Typical Rollers . Hoopoes . Woodpeckers and allies . |
Passerines: Pittas . Larks . Swallows and Martins . Wagtails and Pipits . Cuckoo-shrikes . Bulbuls . Kinglets . Waxwings . Dippers . Wrens . Accentors . Thrushes and allies . Cisticolas and allies . Old World warblers . Old World flycatchers . Monarch flycatchers . Parrotbills . Long-tailed tits . Chickadees and Titmice . Nuthatches . Treecreepers . White-eyes . Old World Orioles . Shrikes . Crows, Jays, Ravens and Magpies . Starlings . Buntings, Sparrows, Seedeaters and allies . Siskins, Crossbills and allies . Sparrows . |
See also References |
Loons
Order: GaviiformesGaviiformes
Gaviiformes is an order of aquatic birds containing the loons or divers and their closest extinct relatives. Modern gaviiformes are found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia , though prehistoric species were more widespread.-Classification and evolution:There are five living...
Family: Gaviidae
Loons, known as Divers in Europe, are group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Europe. They are the size of a large duck or small goose, which they somewhat resembles in shape when swimming, but they completely unrelated to these waterfowl. There are 5 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
- Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
- Arctic Loon Gavia arctica
- Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
- Yellow-billed LoonYellow-billed LoonThe Yellow-billed Loon , also known as the White-billed Diver, is the largest member of the loon or diver family. Breeding adults have a black head, white underparts and chequered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is drabber with the chin and foreneck white...
Gavia adamsii
Grebes
Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae
Grebe
Grebe
A grebe is a member of the Podicipediformes order, a widely distributed order of freshwater diving birds, some of which visit the sea when migrating and in winter...
s are small to medium-large sized freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes, and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. There are 20 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
- Little GrebeLittle GrebeThe Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...
Tachybaptus ruficollis - Red-necked GrebeRed-necked GrebeThe Red-necked Grebe is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, although some birds may winter on large lakes...
Podiceps grisegena - Great Crested GrebeGreat Crested GrebeThe Great Crested Grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds.- Description :The Great Crested Grebe is long with a wingspan. It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations...
Podiceps cristatus - Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
Shearwaters and petrels
Order: ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
Family: Procellariidae
Procellariidae
The family Procellariidae is a group of seabirds that comprises the fulmarine petrels, the gadfly petrels, the prions, and the shearwaters. This family is part of the bird order Procellariiformes , which also includes the albatrosses, the storm-petrels, and the diving petrels.The procellariids are...
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized 'true petrels', characterised by united nostrils with a medium septum, and a long outer functional primary. There are 75 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Streaked ShearwaterStreaked ShearwaterThe Streaked Shearwater, Calonectris leucomelas is a species of seabird. The bird is 48 cm in size, with a 122 cm wingspan. This species is pelagic, but also occurs in inshore waters. It occurs in the Pacific Ocean, nesting in Japan and many of its offshore islands. After breeding, the Streaked...
Calonectris leucomelas - Flesh-footed ShearwaterFlesh-footed ShearwaterThe Flesh-footed Shearwater, Puffinus carneipes, is a small shearwater. Its plumage is black. It has pale pinkish feet, and a pale bill with a black tip. Together with the equally light-billed Pink-footed Shearwater, it forms the Hemipuffinus group, a superspecies which may or may not have an...
Puffinus carneipes
Storm-Petrels
Order: ProcellariiformesProcellariiformes
Procellariiformes is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels...
Family: Hydrobatidae
The storm-petrel
Storm-petrel
Storm petrels are seabirds in the family Hydrobatidae, part of the order Procellariiformes. These smallest of seabirds feed on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.Storm petrels have a cosmopolitan...
s are relatives of the petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s, and are the smallest of sea-birds. They feed on plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
ic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
-like. There are 21 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Swinhoe's Storm-PetrelSwinhoe's Storm-petrelSwinhoe's Storm Petrel, Oceanodroma monorhis also known as Swinhoe's Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae....
Oceanodroma monorhis
Cormorants
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
The Phalacrocoracidae is a family of medium-to-large coastal, fish-eating sea-birds that includes cormorants and shags. Plumage colouration varies with the majority having mainly dark plumage, some species being black and white, and a few being colourful. There are 38 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in North Korea.
- Great CormorantGreat CormorantThe Great Cormorant , known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds...
Phalacrocorax carbo - Japanese CormorantJapanese CormorantThe Japanese Cormorant , also known as Temminck's Cormorant, is a cormorant native to East Asia. It lives from Taiwan north through Korea and Japan to the Russian Far East....
Phalacrocorax capillatus - Pelagic CormorantPelagic CormorantThe Pelagic Cormorant , also known as Baird's Cormorant, is a small member of the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. Analogous to other smallish cormorants, it is also called Pelagic Shag occasionally...
Phalacrocorax pelagicus
Frigatebirds
Order: PelecaniformesPelecaniformes
The Pelecaniformes is a order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally—but erroneously—defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopodes...
Family: Fregatidae
Frigatebird
Frigatebird
The frigatebirds are a family, Fregatidae, of seabirds. There are five species in the single genus Fregata. They are also sometimes called Man of War birds or Pirate birds. Since they are related to the pelicans, the term "frigate pelican" is also a name applied to them...
s are large sea-birds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black and white or completely black, with long wings and deeply-forked tails. The males have inflatable coloured throat pouches. They do not swim or walk, and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan to body weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week. There are 5 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Lesser FrigatebirdLesser FrigatebirdThe Lesser Frigatebird, Fregata ariel, is a species of frigatebird.It nests in Australia, among other locations.There is a single record from the Western Palearctic, from Eilat in the Gulf of Aqaba....
Fregata ariel
Bitterns, herons and egrets
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
Family: Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains the bittern
Bittern
Bitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
s, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s and egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
s. Herons and egrets are medium to large sized wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Unlike other long-necked birds suck as storks, ibises and spoonbills, members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted. There are 61 species worldwide and 10 species which occur in North Korea.
- Gray Heron Ardea cinerea
- Purple HeronPurple HeronThe Purple Heron is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia...
Ardea purpurea - Eastern Great EgretEastern Great EgretThe Eastern Great Egret is a white heron of the genus Ardea, is considered a subspecies of the Great Egret . Although a study argued for full species status in 2005, most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies...
Ardea modesta - Intermediate EgretIntermediate EgretThe Intermediate Egret, Median Egret, or Yellow-billed Egret is a medium-sized heron. It is a resident breeder from east Africa across tropical southern Asia to Australia. It often nests in colonies with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs...
Egretta intermedia - Little EgretLittle EgretThe Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....
Egretta garzetta - Chinese EgretChinese EgretThe Chinese Egret or Swinhoe's Egret, Egretta eulophotes, is a full-crested, white egret with yellow bill. It breeds in Russia, North Korea, South Korea and mainland China, and then migrates south through Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia...
Egretta eulophotes - Cattle EgretCattle EgretThe Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
Bubulcus ibis - Striated HeronStriated HeronThe Striated Heron, Butorides striata, also known as Mangrove Heron, Little Heron or Green-backed Heron, is a small heron. Striated Herons are mostly non-migratory and noted for some interesting behavioral traits. Their breeding habitat is small wetlands in the Old World tropics from west Africa to...
Butorides striata - Yellow BitternYellow BitternThe Yellow Bittern is a small bittern. It is of Old World origins, breeding in much of the Indian Subcontinent, east to Japan and Indonesia. It is mainly resident, but some northern birds migrate short distances...
Ixobrychus sinensis - Schrenck's BitternSchrenck's BitternVon Schrenck's Bittern , also known as Schrenck's Bittern, is a small bittern. It breeds in China and Siberia from March to July, and Japan from May to August. It winters in Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Laos, passing through the rest of South-east Asia...
Ixobrychus eurhythmus
Storks
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
Family: Ciconiidae
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory. There are 19 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Black StorkBlack StorkThe Black Stork Ciconia nigra is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in...
Ciconia nigra - Oriental StorkOriental StorkThe Oriental Stork, Ciconia boyciana, is a large, white bird with black wing feathers. It is closely related and resembles the European White Stork, of which it was formerly often treated as a subspecies. It is typically larger than the White Stork, at 100–129 cm long, tall, a weight of and...
Ciconia boyciana
Ibises and spoonbills
Order: CiconiiformesCiconiiformes
Traditionally, the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large, long-legged wading birds with large bills: storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, and several others. Ciconiiformes are known from the Late Eocene...
Family: Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae
The family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
The Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
es and spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
s. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers. There are 36 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in North Korea.
- Crested IbisCrested IbisThe Crested Ibis , also known as the Japanese Crested Ibis or Toki , is a large , white-plumaged ibis of pine forests. Its head is partially bare, showing red skin, and it has a dense crest of white plumes on the nape. This species is the only member of the genus Nipponia.Their habitat is usually...
Nipponia nippon (Ex) - Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
- Black-faced SpoonbillBlack-faced SpoonbillThe Black-faced Spoonbill has the most restricted distribution of all spoonbills, and it is the only one currently regarded as endangered. Confined to the coastal areas of eastern Asia, it seems that it was once common throughout its area of distribution...
Platalea minor
Ducks, geese and swans
Order: AnseriformesAnseriformes
The order Anseriformes contains about 150 living species of birds in three extant families: the Anhimidae , Anseranatidae , and the Anatidae, which includes over 140 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans.All species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at...
Family: Anatidae
Anatidae
Anatidae is the biological family of birds that includes ducks, geese and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica and on most of the world's islands and island groups...
The family Anatidae includes the duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
and swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s. These are birds that are modified for an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating. There are 131 species worldwide and 32 species which occur in North Korea.
- Whooper SwanWhooper SwanThe Whooper Swan , Cygnus cygnus, is a large Northern Hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American Trumpeter Swan. An old name for the Whooper Swan is Elk; it is so called in Francis Willughby and John Ray's Ornithology of 1676.-Description:The Whooper Swan is similar in...
Cygnus cygnus - Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
- Swan GooseSwan GooseThe Swan Goose is a rare large goose with a natural breeding range in inland Mongolia, northernmost China, and southeastern Russia. It is migratory and winters mainly in central and eastern China...
Anser cygnoides - Bean GooseBean GooseThe Bean Goose is a medium to large goose breeding in northern Europe and Asia. It was split into two species by the American Ornithologists' Union in 2007, however it is still regarded as a single species by the British Ornithologists' Union – see below...
Anser fabalis - Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
- Snow GooseSnow GooseThe Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...
Chen caerulescens - BrantBrent GooseThe Brant or Brent Goose, Branta bernicla, is a species of goose of the genus Branta. The Black Brant is an American subspecies. The specific descriptor bernicla is from the same source as "barnacle" in Barnacle Goose, which looks similar but is not a close relation.-Appearance:The Brant Goose is...
Branta bernicla - Ruddy ShelduckRuddy ShelduckThe Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea, is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae...
Tadorna ferruginea - Common ShelduckCommon ShelduckThe Common Shelduck is a waterfowl species shelduck genus Tadorna. It is widespread and common in Eurasia, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions; in winter, it can also be found in the Maghreb...
Tadorna tadorna - Mandarin DuckMandarin DuckThe Mandarin Duck , or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. It is 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan.-Description:...
Aix galericulata - Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
- Falcated DuckFalcated DuckThe Falcated Duck or Falcated Teal is a Gadwall-sized dabbling duck.-Distribution and habitat:The Falcated duck breeds in eastern Asia...
Anas falcata - Baikal TealBaikal TealThe Baikal Teal , also called the Bimaculate Duck or Squawk Duck, is a dabbling duck that breeds in eastern Russia and winters in East Asia.- Description :...
Anas formosa - Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
- MallardMallardThe Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
Anas platyrhynchos - Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
- Northern PintailNorthern PintailThe Pintail or Northern Pintail is a widely occurring duck which breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator...
Anas acuta - GarganeyGarganeyThe Garganey is a small dabbling duck. It breeds in much of Europe and western Asia, but is strictly migratory, with the entire population moving to southern Africa, India Santragachi and Australasia in winter, where large flocks can occur. This species was first described by Linnaeus in 1758...
Anas querquedula - Northern ShovelerNorthern ShovelerThe Northern Shoveler , Northern Shoveller in British English, sometimes known simply as the Shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, and is a rare vagrant to Australia...
Anas clypeata - Baer's PochardBaer's PochardBaer's Pochard is a diving duck found in eastern Asia. It breeds in southeast Russia and northeast China, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam, Japan, and India. The name commemorates the Estonian naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer.At 41–46 cm, it is similar in size and stance to its...
Aythya baeri - Tufted DuckTufted DuckThe Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.- Description :The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name.The adult female is brown with paler...
Aythya fuligula - Greater ScaupGreater ScaupThe Greater Scaup , just Scaup in Europe, or colloquially known as "Bluebill", for its bright blue bill, is small compared to other diving ducks, however it is larger than the closely related Lesser Scaup...
Aythya marila - Lesser ScaupLesser ScaupThe Lesser Scaup is a small North American diving duck that migrates south as far as Central America in winter. It is colloquially known as the Little Bluebill or Broadbill because of its distinctive blue bill...
Aythya affinis - Harlequin DuckHarlequin DuckThe Harlequin Duck is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Arlecchino, Harlequin in French, a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", "actor". In North America it is also known as Lords and ladies...
Histrionicus histrionicus - Long-tailed DuckLong-tailed DuckThe Long-tailed Duck or Oldsquaw is a medium-sized sea duck. It is the only living member of its genus, Clangula; this was formerly used for the goldeneyes, with the Long-tailed Duck being placed in Harelda...
Clangula hyemalis - Black ScoterBlack ScoterThe Black or American Scoter is a large sea duck, 43 to 49 centimeters in length. Together with the Common Scoter M. nigra, it forms the subgenus Oidemia; the two are sometimes considered conspecific, the Black Scoter then being referred to as M. nigra americana...
Melanitta nigra - White-winged ScoterWhite-winged ScoterThe White-winged Scoter is a large sea duck.-Description:It is characterised by its bulky shape and large bill. This is the largest species of scoter. Females range from 950-1950 grams and 48–56 cm , averaging 1180 grams and 52.3 cm . She is brown with pale head patches...
Melanitta fusca - Common GoldeneyeCommon GoldeneyeThe Common Goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Their closest relative is the similar Barrow's Goldeneye....
Bucephala clangula - SmewSmewThe Smew is a small duck, which is somewhat intermediate between the typical mergansers and the goldeneyes . It is the only member of the genus Mergellus; sometimes included in Mergus, this genus is distinct and might actually be a bit closer to the goldeneyes...
Mergellus albellus - Red-breasted MerganserRed-breasted MerganserThe Red-breasted Merganser is a diving duck.-Taxonomy:The Red-breasted Merganser was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th-century work, Systema Naturae.-Description:...
Mergus serrator - Common MerganserCommon MerganserThe Common Merganser or Goosander Mergus merganser is a large duck, of rivers and lakes of forested areas of Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America. It eats fish and nests in holes in trees...
Mergus merganser - Scaly-sided Merganser Mergus squamatus
Osprey
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
Family: Pandionidae
The Pandionidae family contains only one species, the Osprey. The Osprey is a medium large raptor
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
- OspreyOspreyThe Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
Pandion haliaetus
Hawks, kites and eagles
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
Family: Accipitridae
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey and include hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, kites
Kite (bird)
Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mainly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey.They are birds of prey which, along with hawks and eagles, are from the family Accipitridae....
, harriers
Harrier (bird)
A harrier is any of the several species of diurnal hawks forming the Circinae sub-family of the Accipitridae family of birds of prey. Harriers characteristically hunt by flying low over open ground, feeding on small mammals, reptiles, or birds....
and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. There are 233 species worldwide and 21 species which occur in North Korea.
- Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
- Black KiteBlack KiteThe Black Kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. Unlike others of the group, they are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their...
Milvus migrans - White-tailed EagleWhite-tailed EagleThe White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...
Haliaeetus albicilla - Steller's Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus pelagicus
- LammergeierLammergeierThe Lammergeier, Lammergeyer, or Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus , is the only member of the genus Gypaetus. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a minor lineage of Accipitridae together with the Egyptian Vulture , its closest living relative...
Gypaetus barbatus - Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus
- Eastern Marsh-Harrier Circus spilonotus
- Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
- Pied HarrierPied HarrierThe Pied Harrier is an Asian species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is migratory, breeding from Amur valley in eastern Russia and north-eastern China to North Korea. Wintering individuals can be found in a wide area from Pakistan to Philippines...
Circus melanoleucos - Chinese GoshawkChinese GoshawkThe Chinese Sparrowhawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. Also called Chinese goshawk....
Accipiter soloensis - Japanese SparrowhawkJapanese SparrowhawkThe Japanese Sparrowhawk is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers....
Accipiter gularis - Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
- Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
- Gray-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus
- Eurasian Buzzard Buteo buteo
- Upland BuzzardUpland BuzzardThe Upland Buzzard is a species of bird of prey in the Accipitridae family.-Description:This is the largest buzzard, though it is equaled in size by the North American Ferruginous Hawk. The total length is 57-67 cm and wingspan is 143-161 cm . Weight is about 1350 grams on average. with both...
Buteo hemilasius - Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
- Greater Spotted EagleGreater Spotted EagleThe Greater Spotted Eagle , occasionally just called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
Aquila clanga - Steppe EagleSteppe EagleThe Steppe Eagle is a bird of prey. It is about in length and has a wingspan of . Females, weighing 2.3–4.9 kg , are slightly larger than males, at 2–3.5 kg . Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
Aquila nipalensis - Imperial EagleEastern Imperial EagleThe Eastern Imperial Eagle is a large species of bird of prey that breeds from southeastern Europe to central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, and southern and eastern Asia. The Spanish Imperial Eagle, found in Spain and Portugal, was formerly lumped with...
Aquila heliaca - Golden EagleGolden EagleThe Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
Aquila chrysaetos
Caracaras and falcons
Order: FalconiformesFalconiformes
The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 species of birds that comprises the diurnal birds of prey. Raptor classification is difficult and the order is treated in several ways.- Classification problems :...
Family: Falconidae
Falconidae
The falcons and caracaras are around 60 species of diurnal birds of prey that make up the family Falconidae. The family is divided into two subfamiles, Polyborinae, which includes the caracaras and forest falcons, and Falconinae, the falcons, kestrels and falconets.-Description:Falcons and...
Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their feet. There are 62 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
- Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
- Amur FalconAmur FalconThe Amur Falcon , formerly Eastern Red-footed Falcon, is a small raptor of the falcon family. It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China, wintering in Southern Africa...
Falco amurensis - MerlinMerlin (bird)The Merlin is a small species of falcon from the Northern Hemisphere. A bird of prey once known colloquially as a pigeon hawk in North America, the Merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter.-European and North American...
Falco columbarius - Eurasian HobbyEurasian HobbyThe Eurasian Hobby , or just simply Hobby, is a small slim falcon. It belongs to a rather close-knit group of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis.-Description:...
Falco subbuteo - Peregrine FalconPeregrine FalconThe Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
Falco peregrinus
Grouse
Order: GalliformesGalliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
Family: Tetraonidae
Grouse are game birds, similar to quails and partridge. There are 18 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Black GrouseBlack GrouseThe Black Grouse or Blackgame is a large bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal...
Tetrao tetrix - Hazel GrouseHazel GrouseThe Hazel Grouse or Hazel Hen is one of the smaller members of the grouse family of birds. It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia and central and eastern Europe in dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland, preferably with some spruce.The nest is on the ground, and 3–6 eggs is...
Bonasa bonasia
Pheasants and partridges
Order: GalliformesGalliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
Family: Phasianidae
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quail
Quail
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally considered in the order Galliformes. Old World quail are found in the family Phasianidae, while New World quail are found in the family Odontophoridae...
s, partridge
Partridge
Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group.These are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East...
s, snowcock
Snowcock
The snowcocks are a group of bird species in the genus Tetraogallus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds which breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and western China. The Himalayan Snowcock has been introduced...
s, francolin
Francolin
Francolins are birds that traditionally have been placed in the genus Francolinus, but now commonly are divided into multiple genera , although some of the major taxonomic listing sources have yet to divide them. They are members of the pheasant family, Phasianidae...
s, spurfowls, tragopan
Tragopan
Tragopan is a genus of bird in the family Phasianidae. These birds are commonly called "horny pheasants" because of two brightly-colored, fleshy horns on their heads that they can erect during courtship displays...
s, monal
Monal
A Monal is a bird of genus Lophophorus of the Pheasant family, Phasianidae. There are three species and several sub-species within the genus Lophophorus:* Himalayan Monal Lophophorus impejanus* Sclater's Monal Lophophorus sclateri...
s, pheasant
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
s, peafowl
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
s and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they may vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings. There are 156 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Japanese QuailJapanese QuailThe Japanese Quail, also known as Coturnix Quail, Coturnix japonica, is a species of Old World Quail found in East Asia. They are a migratory species, breeding in Manchuria, southeastern Siberia, northern Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, and wintering in the south of Japan and southern China. They...
Coturnix japonica - Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
Buttonquails
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
Family: Turnicidae
The buttonquails are small, drab, running birds which resemble the true quails.The female is the brighter of the sexes, and initiates courtship. The male incubates the eggs and tends the young. There are 16 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Yellow-legged ButtonquailYellow-legged ButtonquailThe Yellow-legged Buttonquail is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are unrelated to, the true quails. This family is peculiar in that the females are more colourful than the males and are polyandrous. Females have a bright rufous nape collar which is moulted during...
Turnix tanki
Cranes
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
Family: Gruidae
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". There are 15 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
- White-naped CraneWhite-naped CraneThe White-naped Crane is a bird of the crane family. It is a large bird, 112–125 cm long, approximately 130 cm tall and weighing about 5.6 kg with pinkish legs, grey and white striped neck, and a red face patch.The White-naped Crane breeds in northeastern Mongolia, northeastern...
Grus vipio - Common CraneCommon CraneThe Common Crane , also known as the Eurasian Crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes.It is a large, stately bird and a medium-sized crane at 100–130 cm long, with a 180–240 cm wingspan and a weight of 4.5–6 kg...
Grus grus - Hooded CraneHooded CraneThe Hooded Crane, Grus monacha is a small, dark crane. It has a grey body. The top of the neck and head is white, except for a patch of bare red skin above the eye...
Grus monacha - Red-crowned CraneRed-crowned CraneThe Red-crowned Crane , also called the Japanese Crane or Manchurian Crane , is a large east Asian crane and among the rarest cranes in the world...
Grus japonensis
Rails, crakes, gallinules, and coots
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
Family: Rallidae
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coot
Coot
Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Fulica. Coots have predominantly black plumage, and, unlike many of the rails, they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water...
s, and gallinule
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
s. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs, and have long toes which are well adapted to soft, uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and be weak fliers. There are 143 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in North Korea.
- Swinhoe's RailSwinhoe's RailThe Swinhoe's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Russia.Its natural habitats are swamps, freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, and arable land...
Coturnicops exquisitus - Water RailWater RailThe Water Rail is a bird of the rail family which breeds in well-vegetated wetlands across Europe, Asia and North Africa. Northern and eastern populations are migratory, but this species is a permanent resident in the warmer parts of its breeding range...
Rallus aquaticus - Baillon's CrakeBaillon's CrakeThe Baillon's Crake is a very small waterbird of the family Rallidae.-Distribution:Their breeding habitat is sedge beds in Europe, mainly in the east, and across Asia. They used to breed in Great Britain up to the mid-19th century, but the western European population declined through drainage....
Porzana pusilla - Ruddy-breasted CrakeRuddy-breasted CrakeThe Ruddy-breasted Crake , or Ruddy Crake, is a waterbird in the rail and crake family Rallidae.Its breeding habitat is swamps and similar wet areas across south Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to south China, Japan and Indonesia. It has been recorded as a vagrant from the Australian...
Porzana fusca - Band-bellied CrakeBand-bellied CrakeThe Band-bellied Crake is a species of bird in the Rallidae family.It is found in China, Indonesia, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
Porzana paykullii - WatercockWatercockThe Watercock Gallicrex cinerea is a waterbird in the rail and crake family Rallidae. It is the only member of the genus Gallicrex....
Gallicrex cinerea - Common MoorhenCommon MoorhenThe Common Moorhen is a bird in the Rallidae family with an almost worldwide distribution. The North and South American Committees of the AOU and the IOC have voted on or before July 2011 to split the American forms into a new species Common Gallinule, however, no other committee has voted to...
Gallinula chloropus - Eurasian CootEurasian CootThe Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, also known as Coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian Coot.-Distribution:...
Fulica atra
Bustards
Order: GruiformesGruiformes
The Gruiformes are an order containing a considerable number of living and extinct bird families, with a widespread geographical diversity. Gruiform means "crane-like"....
Family: Otididae
Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips, and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays. There are 26 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Great BustardGreat BustardThe Great Bustard is in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Otis. It breeds in southern and central Europe, where it is the largest species of bird, and across temperate Asia...
Otis tarda
Oystercatchers
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
Family: Haematopodidae
The oystercatcher
Oystercatcher
The oystercatchers are a group of waders; they form the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, Haematopus. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia...
s are large and noisy plover
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. There are 11 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Eurasian OystercatcherEurasian OystercatcherThe Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, or just Oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with three races breeding in western Europe, central Eurasia,...
Haematopus ostralegus
Plovers and lapwings
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
Family: Charadriidae
Charadriidae
The bird family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels, and lapwings, about 64 to 66 species in all.- Morphology :They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings, but most species of lapwing may have more rounded wings...
The family Charadriidae includes the plover
Plover
Plovers are a widely distributed group of wading birds belonging to the subfamily Charadriinae. There are about 40 species in the subfamily, most of them called "plover" or "dotterel". The closely related lapwing subfamily, Vanellinae, comprises another 20-odd species.Plovers are found throughout...
s, dotterels, and lapwing
Lapwing
Vanellinae are any of various crested plovers, family Charadriidae, noted for its slow, irregular wingbeat in flight and a shrill, wailing cry. Its length is 10-16 inches. They are a subfamily of medium-sized wading birds which also includes the plovers and dotterels. The Vanellinae are...
s. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water, although there are some exceptions. There are 66 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in North Korea.
- Northern LapwingNorthern LapwingThe Northern Lapwing , also known as the Peewit, Green Plover or just Lapwing, is a bird in the plover family. It is common through temperate Eurasia....
Vanellus vanellus - Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva
- Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
- Long-billed PloverLong-billed PloverThe Long-billed Plover is a species of bird in the Charadriidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.- References...
Charadrius placidus - Little Ringed PloverLittle Ringed PloverThe Little Ringed Plover is a small plover. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the eyes with white above and a short dark bill...
Charadrius dubius - Snowy PloverSnowy PloverThe Snowy Plover is a small wader in the plover bird family. It breeds in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, the southern and western USA and the Caribbean...
Charadrius alexandrinus - Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii
- Oriental PloverOriental PloverThe Oriental Plover, Charadrius veredus, also known as the Oriental Dotterel, is a medium-sized Charadriine plover closely related to the Caspian Plover.- Description :...
Charadrius veredus
Sandpipers and allies
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
Family: Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae
The sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders or shorebirds. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil...
The Scolopacidae are a large diverse family of small to medium sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlew
Curlew
The curlews , genus Numenius, are a group of eight species of birds, characterised by long, slender, downcurved bills and mottled brown plumage. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills...
s, godwit
Godwit
The godwits are a group of large, long-billed, long-legged and strongly migratory wading birds of the genus Limosa. They form large flocks on coasts and estuaries in winter....
s, shanks
Tringa
Tringa is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the Green Sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern...
, tattler
Tattler (bird)
The tattlers are the two very similar bird species in the shorebird genus Tringa. They formerly had their own genus, Heteroscelus. The old genus name means "different leg" in Greek, referring to the leg scales that differentiate the tattlers from their close relatives, the shanks.The species are:*...
s, woodcock
Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into Wallacea...
s, snipe
Snipe
A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution, the Lymnocryptes Jack Snipe is restricted to Asia and Europe and the...
s, dowitcher
Dowitcher
The three dowitchers are medium-sized long-billed wading birds. They resemble godwits in body and bill shape, and the reddish underparts in summer, but are much shorter legged, more like snipe to which they are also somewhat closer related...
s and phalarope
Phalarope
A phalarope or wadepiper is any of three living species of slender-necked shorebirds in the genus Phalaropus of the bird family Scolopacidae. They are close relatives of the shanks and tattlers, the Actitis and Terek Sandpipers, and also of the turnstones and calidrids...
s. The majority of species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enable different species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 89 species worldwide and 22 species which occur in North Korea.
- Eurasian WoodcockEurasian WoodcockThe Eurasian Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola, is a medium-small wading bird found in temperate and subarctic Eurasia. It has cryptic camouflage to suit its woodland habitat, with reddish-brown upperparts and buff-coloured underparts...
Scolopax rusticola - Solitary SnipeSolitary SnipeThe Solitary Snipe, Gallinago solitaria, is a small stocky wader. It breeds discontinuously in the mountains of eastern Asia, in eastern Russia, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. Many birds are sedentary in the high mountains, or just move downhill in hard weather, but others are migratory,...
Gallinago solitaria - Common SnipeCommon SnipeThe Common Snipe is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The breeding habitat is marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout northern Europe and northern Asia...
Gallinago gallinago - Black-tailed GodwitBlack-tailed GodwitThe Black-tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa, is a large, long-legged, long-billed shorebird first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1758. It is a member of the Limosa genus, the godwits...
Limosa limosa - Little CurlewLittle CurlewThe Little Curlew, Numenius minutus, is a wader in the large bird family Scolopacidae. It is a very small curlew, which breeds in the far north of Siberia. It is closely related to the North American Eskimo Curlew....
Numenius minutus - WhimbrelWhimbrelThe Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the mostwidespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland....
Numenius phaeopus - Eurasian CurlewEurasian CurlewThe Eurasian Curlew, Numenius arquata, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia...
Numenius arquata - Far Eastern CurlewFar Eastern CurlewThe Far Eastern Curlew or Eastern Curlew is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the Long-billed Curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown underwing...
Numenius madagascariensis - Common RedshankCommon RedshankThe Common Redshank or simply Redshank is an Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.- Description and systematics :...
Tringa totanus - Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
- Nordmann's Greenshank Tringa guttifer
- Green SandpiperGreen SandpiperThe Green Sandpiper is a small wader of the Old World. It represents an ancient lineage of the genus Tringa; its only close living relative is the Solitary Sandpiper . They both have brown wings with little light dots and a delicate but contrasting neck and chest pattern...
Tringa ochropus - Wood SandpiperWood SandpiperThe Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola, is a small wader. This Eurasian species is the smallest of the shanks, which are mid-sized long-legged waders of the family Scolopacidae.- Description and systematics :...
Tringa glareola - Terek SandpiperTerek SandpiperThe Terek Sandpiper is a small migratory Palearctic wader species, the only member of the genus Xenus.- Description and systematics :...
Xenus cinereus - Common SandpiperCommon SandpiperThe Common Sandpiper is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the Spotted Sandpiper , make up the genus Actitis. They are parapatric and replace each other geographically; stray birds of either species may settle down with breeders of the other and hybridize...
Actitis hypoleucos - Ruddy TurnstoneRuddy TurnstoneThe Ruddy Turnstone is a small wading bird, one of two species of turnstone in the genus Arenaria. It is now classified in the sandpiper family Scolopacidae but was formerly sometimes placed in the plover family Charadriidae...
Arenaria interpres - SanderlingSanderlingThe Sanderling is a small wader. It is a circumpolar Arctic breeder, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to South America, South Europe, Africa, and Australia...
Calidris alba - Pectoral SandpiperPectoral SandpiperThe Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos, is a small wader. It is sometimes separated with the "stint" sandpipers in Erolia. This may or may not represent a good monophyletic group, depending on the placement of the phylogenetically enigmatic Curlew Sandpiper , the type species of Erolia...
Calidris melanotos - Sharp-tailed SandpiperSharp-tailed SandpiperThe Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Calidris acuminata is a small wader.- Taxonomy :More recently, a review of new data has indicated that this bird should perhaps better be placed into the genus Philomachus- as P...
Calidris acuminata - Curlew SandpiperCurlew SandpiperThe Curlew Sandpiper is a small wader that breeds on the tundra of Arctic Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering mainly in Africa, but also in south and southeast Asia and in Australasia...
Calidris ferruginea - DunlinDunlinThe Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader, sometimes separated with the other "stints" in Erolia. It is a circumpolar breeder in Arctic or subarctic regions. Birds that breed in northern Europe and Asia are long-distance migrants, wintering south to Africa, southeast Asia and the Middle East...
Calidris alpina - Spoon-billed SandpiperSpoon-billed SandpiperThe Spoon-billed Sandpiper , is a small wader which breeds in northeastern Russia and winters in Southeast Asia.- Taxonomy and systematics :...
Eurynorhynchus pygmeus
Gulls
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
Family: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large birds seabirds and includes gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s and kittiwake
Kittiwake
The kittiwakes are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the Black-legged Kittiwake and the Red-legged Kittiwake . The epithets "Black-legged" and "Red-legged" are used to distinguish the two species in North America, but in Europe, where R...
s. They are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. There are 55 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
- Black-tailed GullBlack-tailed GullThe Black-tailed Gull is a medium-sized gull, with a wingspan of 126-128 cm. The bird is resident in East Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It is a vagrant to Alaska and northeastern North America....
Larus crassirostris - Mew GullCommon GullThe Common Gull or Mew Gull Larus canus is a medium-sized gull which breeds in northern Asia, northern Europe and northwestern North America. It migrates further south in winter...
Larus canus - Black-headed GullBlack-headed GullThe Black-headed Gull is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory, wintering further south, but some birds in the milder westernmost areas of Europe are resident...
Larus ridibundus - Saunders's GullSaunders's GullSaunders's Gull is a species of gull in the Laridae family.It is found in China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Macau, Russia, Taiwan, and Vietnam....
Larus saundersi - Relict GullRelict GullThe Relict Gull, Ichthyaetus relictus, is a medium-sized gull. It was believed to be an eastern race of the Mediterranean Gull until 1971 and was traditionally placed in the genus Larus.-Description:...
Larus relictus
Terns
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
Family: Sternidae
Tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s are a group of generally general medium to large sea-birds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species now known to live in excess of 25 to 30 years. There are 44 species worldwide and 3 species which occur in North Korea.
- Common TernCommon TernThe Common Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. It is sometimes...
Sterna hirundo - Little TernLittle TernThe Little Tern, Sternula albifrons or Sterna albifrons, is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It was formerly placed into the genus Sterna, which now is restricted to the large white terns . The former North American and Red Sea S. a...
Sterna albifrons - White-winged TernWhite-winged TernThe White-winged Tern, or White-winged Black Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus, is a small tern generally found in or near bodies of fresh water across from Southeastern Europe east to Australia....
Chlidonias leucopterus
Auks, Murres, and Puffins
Order: CharadriiformesCharadriiformes
Charadriiformes is a diverse order of small to medium-large birds. It includes about 350 species and has members in all parts of the world. Most Charadriiformes live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic , some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick...
Family: Alcidae
Alcids are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits, however they are not related to the penguins bnd differ in being able to fly. Auks live on the open sea, only deliberately coming ashore to nest. There are 24 species worldwide and 6 species which occur in North Korea.
- Common Murre Uria aalge
- Spectacled GuillemotSpectacled GuillemotThe Spectacled, or Sooty Guillemot, Cepphus carbo, is a seabird in the auk family.-Description:This species is about 38 cm long, with red legs, black bill and a blackish iris....
Cepphus carbo - Long-billed MurreletLong-billed MurreletThe Long-billed Murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is an unusual member of the auk family, often nesting far inland in old growth forests...
Brachyramphus perdix - Ancient MurreletAncient MurreletThe Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, is a bird in the auk family. It breeds from the Yellow Sea , through the Russian Pacific coast and the Aleutian Islands to the Haida Gwaii archipelago of British Columbia, where about half of the world population breeds.These birds breed in colonies,...
Synthliboramphus antiquus - Japanese MurreletJapanese MurreletThe Japanese Murrelet, Synthliboramphus wumizusume also known as Crested Murrelet is a small bird that inhabits rocky islets and reefs in the warm waters of Japan, Russia and South Korea...
Synthliboramphus wumizusume - Rhinoceros AukletRhinoceros AukletThe Rhinoceros Auklet is a seabird and a close relative of the puffins. It is the only living species of the genus Cerorhinca. Given its close relationship with the puffins, the common name Rhinoceros Puffin has been proposed for the species.It ranges widely across the North Pacific, feeding on...
Cerorhinca monocerata
Pigeons and doves
Order: ColumbiformesColumbiformes
Columbiformes are an avian order that includes the very widespread and successful doves and pigeons, classified in the family Columbidae, and the extinct Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire, long classified as a second family Raphidae. 313 species, found worldwide, comprise the Columbiformes order....
Family: Columbidae
Pigeons and dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
s are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere
Cère
The Cère is a long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Dordogne River. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, near the mountain Plomb du Cantal...
. There are 308 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
- Rock PigeonRock PigeonThe Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae . In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon"....
Columba livia - Hill PigeonHill PigeonThe Hill Pigeon or Eastern Rock Dove or Turkestan Hill Dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.- Description :...
Columba rupestris - Oriental Turtle-Dove Streptopelia orientalis
- Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
Cuckoos and anis
Order: CuculiformesCuculiformes
The near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below:* Musophagidae - turacos and allies* Cuculidae - cuckoos, coucals, roadrunners and anis* Opisthocomidae - Hoatzin...
Family: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
s, roadrunner
Geococcyx
The roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America...
s and anis
Ani (bird)
The anis are the three species of near-passerine birds in the genus Crotophaga of the cuckoo family. They are essentially tropical New world birds, although the range of two species just reaches the United States...
. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Unlike the cuckoo species of the Old World, North American cuckoos are not brood parasites. There are 138 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
- Northern Hawk-Cuckoo Cuculus hyperythrus
- Common CuckooCommon CuckooThe Common Cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals....
Cuculus canorus - Horsfield's CuckooHorsfield's CuckooThe Oriental Cuckoo or Horsfields Cuckoo is a bird belonging to the genus Cuculus in the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Himalayan Cuckoo with the name Oriental Cuckoo used for the combined species. Differences in voice and size suggest that they should...
Cuculus horsfieldi - Lesser CuckooLesser CuckooThe Lesser Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malawi, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka,...
Cuculus poliocephalus
Typical owls
Order: StrigiformesFamily: Strigidae
Typical owl
Typical owl
True owl or Typical owl are one of the two generally accepted families of Owls, the other being the barn owls . The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, the typical owls are a subfamily Strigidae...
s are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. There are 195 species worldwide and 12 species which occur in North Korea.
- Collared Scops-Owl Otus lettia
- Oriental Scops-Owl Otus sunia
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl Bubo bubo
- Snowy OwlSnowy OwlThe Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...
Bubo scandiacus - Tawny OwlTawny OwlThe Tawny Owl or Brown Owl is a stocky, medium-sized owl commonly found in woodlands across much of Eurasia. Its underparts are pale with dark streaks, and the upperparts are either brown or grey. Several of the eleven recognised subspecies have both variants...
Strix aluco - Ural OwlUral OwlThe Ural Owl is a medium-large nocturnal owl of the genus Strix, with up to 15 subspecies found in Europe and northern Asia....
Strix uralensis - Northern Hawk OwlNorthern Hawk OwlThe Northern Hawk-Owl is a non-migratory owl that usually stays within its breeding range. It sometimes irrupts southward.-General:It is the only living species in the genus Surnia...
Surnia ulula - Little OwlLittle OwlThe Little Owl is a bird which is resident in much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, Asia east to Korea, and north Africa. It is not native to Great Britain, but was first introduced in 1842, and is now naturalised there...
Athene noctua - Brown Hawk-Owl Ninox scutulata
- Long-eared OwlLong-eared OwlThe Long-eared Owl - Asio otus is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl...
Asio otus - Short-eared OwlShort-eared OwlThe Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . In Scotland this species of owl is often referred to as a cataface, grass owl or short-horned hootlet. Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may...
Asio flammeus - Northern BoobookNorthern BoobookThe Northern Boobook is species of bird in the Strigidae family. It was recently split from the Brown Hawk-Owl...
Ninox japonica
Nightjars
Order: CaprimulgiformesCaprimulgiformes
The Caprimulgiformes is an order of birds that includes a number of birds with global distribution . They are generally insectivorous and nocturnal...
Family: Caprimulgidae
Nightjar
Nightjar
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills. They are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers from the mistaken belief that they suck milk from goats . Some New World species are named as nighthawks...
s are medium-sized nocturnal birds with long wings, short legs and very short bills that usually nest on the ground. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves. There are 86 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Gray Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus
Swifts
Order: ApodiformesApodiformes
Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts , the tree swifts , and the hummingbirds . In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodimorphae in which hummingbirds are separated as a new order, Trochiliformes...
Family: Apodidae
Swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
s are small aerial birds, spending the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. There are 98 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- White-throated NeedletailWhite-throated NeedletailThe White-throated Needletail , also known as Needle-tailed Swift or Spine-tailed Swift, is a large swift. It is the fastest-flying bird in flapping flight, being capable of speeds up to 170 km/h ....
Hirundapus caudacutus - Fork-tailed SwiftFork-tailed SwiftFork-tailed Swift is the historic name of a kind of bird which has since been divided taxonomically into four species. It could refer to any of four different species of swifts:*Pacific Swift, Apus pacificus*Salim Ali's Swift, Apus salimali...
Apus pacificus
Kingfishers
Order: CoraciiformesCoraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
Family: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. There are 93 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
- Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
- Ruddy KingfisherRuddy KingfisherThe Ruddy Kingfisher is a medium-sized tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in east and southeast Asia, ranging from South Korea and Japan in the north, south through the Philippines to the Sunda Islands, and west to China and India. It is migratory, with birds in the northern part of the...
Halcyon coromanda - Black-capped KingfisherBlack-capped KingfisherThe Black-capped Kingfisher, Halcyon pileata, is a tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in tropical Asia from India east to China, Korea and Southeast Asia...
Halcyon pileata - Crested KingfisherCrested KingfisherThe Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris is resident of the Himalayas and foothills of Northern India, Bangladesh, northern Indochina, Southeast Asia and Japan. It is a very large black and white kingfisher with evenly barred wings and tail. It lacks a supercilium and has a spotted breast, which...
Megaceryle lugubris
Typical rollers
Order: CoraciiformesCoraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
Family: Coraciidae
Rollers resemble crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s and bee-eater
Bee-eater
The bee-eaters are a group of near-passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa and Asia but others occur in southern Europe, Australia, and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies, and usually elongated central tail feathers...
s. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not. There are 12 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- DollarbirdDollarbirdThe Oriental Dollarbird , also known as the Dollar Roller, is a bird of the roller family, so named because of the distinctive blue coin-shaped spots on its wings....
Eurystomus orientalis
Hoopoes
Order: CoraciiformesCoraciiformes
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colorful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills...
Family: Upupidae
Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head. There are 2 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- HoopoeHoopoeThe Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes...
Upupa epops
Woodpeckers and allies
Order: PiciformesPiciformes
Nine families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them being the Picidae, which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives...
Family: Picidae
Picidae
The woodpeckers, piculets and wrynecks are a family, Picidae, of near-passerine birds. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia and New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions...
Woodpeckers are small to medium sized birds with chisel like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward, and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks. There are 218 species worldwide and 11 species which occur in North Korea.
- Eurasian WryneckEurasian WryneckThe Eurasian Wryneck, Jynx torquilla, is a species of wryneck in the family of woodpeckers.This species breeds in temperate regions of Europe and Asia. It is migratory, wintering in tropical Africa and southern Asia. It is a bird of open woodland and orchards...
Jynx torquilla - Gray-capped Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus
- Pygmy WoodpeckerPygmy WoodpeckerThe Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker is a species of woodpecker found in Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea and Japan....
Dendrocopos kizuki - Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerLesser Spotted WoodpeckerThe Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is assigned to the genus Dendrocopos ....
Dendrocopos minor - Rufous-bellied WoodpeckerRufous-bellied WoodpeckerThe Rufous-bellied Woodpecker is a species of bird in the Picidae family.It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, North Korea, South Korea, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam...
Dendrocopos hyperythrus - White-backed WoodpeckerWhite-backed WoodpeckerThe White-backed Woodpecker is a Eurasian woodpecker belonging to the genus Dendrocopos.It is the largest of the spotted woodpeckers in the western Palearctic, 24–26 cm long with wing-span 38–40 cm and has plumage similar to the Great Spotted Woodpecker, but with white bars across the...
Dendrocopos leucotos - Great Spotted WoodpeckerGreat Spotted WoodpeckerThe Great Spotted Woodpecker , Dendrocopos major, is a bird species of the woodpecker family . It is distributed throughout Europe and northern Asia, and usually resident year-round except in the colder parts of its range...
Dendrocopos major - Eurasian Three-toed WoodpeckerEurasian Three-toed WoodpeckerThe Three-toed Woodpecker, Picoides tridactylus, is a medium-sized woodpecker.The adult is 21.5-24 cm in length. It is black on the head, wings and rump, and white from the throat to the belly; the flanks are white with black bars. The back is white with black bars, and the tail is black with the...
Picoides tridactylus - White-bellied WoodpeckerWhite-bellied WoodpeckerThe White-bellied Woodpecker is found in evergreen forests of tropical Asia. It has 14 subspecies, part of a complex including the Andaman Woodpecker . Many island forms are endangered, some are extinct. Populations differ in the distribution and extent of white...
Dryocopus javensis - Black WoodpeckerBlack WoodpeckerThe Black Woodpecker, Dryocopus martius, is a large woodpecker, 45–50 cm long with a 64–84 cm wingspan. Body weight is approximately 300-400 grams on average. It is easily the largest woodpecker in its range...
Dryocopus martius - Gray-faced Woodpecker Picus canus
Pittas
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Pittidae
Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards, and stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills. Many, but not all, are brightly coloured. They are spend the majority of their time on wet forest floors, eating snails, insects and similar invertebrate prey which they find there. There are 32 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Fairy PittaFairy PittaThe Fairy Pitta, Pitta nympha, is a small passerine bird. It breeds in north-east Asia in Japan, South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan, migrant in Thailand and winters mainly on the island of Borneo in east Malaysia, Brunei, and Kalimantan in Indonesia....
Pitta nympha
Larks
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Alaudidae
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds. There are 91 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Crested LarkCrested LarkThe Crested Lark, Galerida cristata, breeds across most of temperate Eurasia from Portugal to northeast China and eastern India, and in Africa south to Niger...
Galerida cristata - Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
Swallows and martins
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Hirundinidae
The Hirundinidae family is a group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Their adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and short bills with wide gape. The feet are designed for perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base. There are 75 species worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
- Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
- Barn SwallowBarn SwallowThe Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas...
Hirundo rustica - Red-rumped SwallowRed-rumped SwallowThe Red-rumped Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in open hilly country of temperate southern Europe and Asia from Portugal and Spain to Japan, India and tropical Africa. The Indian and African birds are resident, but European and other Asian birds are migratory...
Cecropis daurica - Common House-Martin Delichon urbica
- Asian Martin Delichon dasypus
Wagtails and pipits
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Motacillidae
Motacillidae
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. There are around 65 species in 6 genera and they include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominately found in Europe, Africa and...
The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country. There are 54 species worldwide and 7 species which occur in North Korea.
- Forest WagtailForest WagtailThe Forest Wagtail is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae. It has a distinctive plumage that sets it apart from other wagtails and has the habit of wagging its tail sideways unlike the usual up and down movements of the other wagtail species. It is the only wagtail...
Dendronanthus indicus - Black-backed Wagtail Motacilla lugens
- Japanese WagtailJapanese WagtailThe Japanese Wagtail, Motacilla grandis, is a species of bird in the pipit and wagtail family Motacillidae. It breeds in Japan and Korea. Vagrant birds have been recorded in Taiwan, eastern China and far-eastern Russia. In Japan, it is generally common from Kyushu northward, but uncommon in...
Motacilla grandis - Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
- Gray Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
- Olive-backed PipitOlive-backed PipitThe Olive-backed Pipit, Anthus hodgsoni, is a small passerine bird of the pipit genus, which breeds across South, north Central and East Asia, as well as in the northeast of European Russia. It is a long-distance migrant moving in winter to southern Asia and Indonesia...
Anthus hodgsoni - American Pipit Anthus rubescens
Cuckoo-shrikes
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Campephagidae
The cuckoo-shrikes are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are predominantly greyish with white and black, although some species are brightly coloured. There are 82 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Ashy MinivetAshy MinivetThe Ashy Minivet is a passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the minivet genus Pericrocotus in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. While most of the minivets have shades of yellow, orange and red in their plumage, this species has only greys, whites and blacks...
Pericrocotus divaricatus
Bulbuls
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Pycnonotidae
Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests.There are 130 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Brown-eared BulbulBrown-eared BulbulThe Brown-eared Bulbul is a medium-sized bulbul which is found from the Russian Far East , northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, south to Taiwan and the Babuyan and Batanes island chains in the north of the Philippines, occasionally being found in Luzon...
Ixos amaurotis
Kinglets
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Regulidae
The kinglets or crests are a small group of birds often included in the Old World warblers, but frequently given family status because they also resemble the titmice
Titmouse
The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa...
. There are 7 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- GoldcrestGoldcrestThe Goldcrest, Regulus regulus, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise to its English and scientific names, and possibly to it being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore. Several subspecies are recognised across the very...
Regulus regulus
Waxwings
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Bombycillidae
The waxwing
Waxwing
The waxwings form the genus Bombycilla of passerine birds. According to most authorities, this is the only genus placed in the family Bombycillidae.-Description:Waxwings are characterised by soft silky plumage...
s are a group of passerine birds characterized by soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax, and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter. There are 3 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Bohemian WaxwingBohemian WaxwingThe Bohemian Waxwing is a member of the waxwing family of passerines. A sleek bird, 18–21 cm long with a pointed crest, it travels in large, nomadic groups with a strong, direct flight. It breeds in coniferous forests throughout the most northern parts of Europe, Asia and western North America...
Bombycilla garrulus - Japanese WaxwingJapanese WaxwingThe Japanese Waxwing is a fairly small passerine bird of the waxwing family found in north-east Asia. It feeds mainly on fruit and berries but also eats insects during the summer. The nest is a cup of twigs lined with grass and moss which is built in a tree.-Description:The Japanese Waxwing is...
Bombycilla japonica
Dippers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Cinclidae
Dippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. They are named for their bobbing or dipping movements. There are 5 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Brown DipperBrown DipperThe Brown Dipper , alternatively known by the common names Pallas's Dipper, Asian Dipper or the Asiatic Dipper, is an aquatic songbird found in the mountains of southern and central Asia. At and , it is the largest of the dippers...
Cinclus pallasii
Wrens
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Troglodytidae
The wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
s are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and a thin down-turned bill. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous. There are 80 species worldwide (of which all but one are New World species) and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Winter WrenWinter WrenThe Winter Wren is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. It was once lumped with Troglodytes pacificus of western North America and Troglodytes troglodytes of Eurasia under the name Winter Wren.It breeds in coniferous forests from British...
Troglodytes troglodytes
Accentors
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Prunellidae
The accentors are in the only bird family, Prunellidae, which is completely endemic to the Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
. They are small, fairly drab species superficially similar to sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s. There are 13 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Alpine AccentorAlpine AccentorThe Alpine Accentor, Prunella collaris, is a small passerine bird found throughout the mountains of southern temperate Europe and Asia at heights above 2000 m. It is mainly resident, wintering more widely at lower latitudes, but some birds wander as rare vagrants as far as Great Britain.It is...
Prunella collaris - Siberian AccentorSiberian AccentorThe Siberian Accentor, Prunella montanella, is a small passerine bird which breeds in northern Siberia on both sides of the Urals. It is migratory, wintering in southeast Asia. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe....
Prunella montanella
Thrushes and allies
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Turdidae
The thrushes
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs. There are 335 species worldwide and 9 species which occur in North Korea.
- White-throated Rock-ThrushWhite-throated Rock-thrushThe White-throated Rock Thrush is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam....
Monticola gularis - Blue Rock-Thrush Monticola solitarius
- Siberian ThrushSiberian ThrushThe Siberian Thrush, Zoothera sibirica, is a member of the Thrush family Turdidae.It breeds in taiga in Siberia. It is strongly migratory, with most birds moving to southeastern Asia during the winter. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. It is very secretive.The Siberian Thrush is similar...
Zoothera sibirica - Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma
- Gray-backed Thrush Turdus hortulorum
- Japanese ThrushJapanese ThrushThe Japanese Thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family.It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:...
Turdus cardis - Eyebrowed ThrushEyebrowed ThrushThe Eyebrowed Thrush, Turdus obscurus, is a member of the thrush family Turdidae.It breeds in dense coniferous forest and taiga eastwards from Siberia. It is strongly migratory, wintering south to southeast Asia and Indonesia. It is a rare vagrant to western Europe.It nests in trees, laying 4-6...
Turdus obscurus - Pale ThrushPale ThrushThe Pale Thrush is a passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the genus Turdus in the thrush family Turdidae. It is closely related to the Eye-browed Thrush and Grey-backed Thrush....
Turdus pallidus - Dusky ThrushDusky ThrushThe Dusky Thrush, Turdus eunomus, is a member of the thrush family Turdidae which breeds eastwards from central Siberia. It is closely related to the more southerly breeding Naumann's Thrush T...
Turdus naumanni
Cisticolas and allies
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Cisticolidae
Cisticolidae
The Cisticolidae family of small passerine birds is a group of about 110 warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae....
The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub. There are 111 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- White-browed Chinese WarblerWhite-browed Chinese WarblerThe Chinese Hill Warbler , also known as the White-browed Chinese Warbler or Chinese Bush-dweller, is a species of bird in the monotypic genus Rhopophilus. Its relationships are uncertain and it has been placed in the families Cisticolidae, Timaliidae or Sylviidae...
Rhopophilus pekinensis
Old World warblers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sylviidae
Sylviidae
Sylviidae is a family of passerine birds that was part of an assemblage known as the Old World warblers. The family was formerly a wastebin taxon with over 400 species of bird in over 70 genera. The family was poorly defined with many characteristics shared with other families...
The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. The Sylviidae mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs. There are 291 species worldwide and 18 species which occur in North Korea.
- Asian StubtailAsian StubtailThe Asian Stubtail is a species of Old World warbler in the Sylviidae family.It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam....
Urosphena squameiceps - Manchurian Bush-WarblerManchurian Bush-warblerThe Manchurian Bush-warbler , also known as Korean Bush-warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the Sylviidae family....
Cettia canturians - Japanese Bush-Warbler Cettia diphone
- Lanceolated WarblerLanceolated WarblerThe Lanceolated Warbler is an Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus Locustella. It breeds from northeast European Russia across northern Asia to northern Hokkaidō, Japan...
Locustella lanceolata - Middendorff's Grasshopper-WarblerMiddendorff's Grasshopper-warblerThe Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Locustellidae family.It is found in Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, and the United States.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded...
Locustella ochotensis - Pleske's Warbler Locustella pleskei
- Gray's Warbler Locustella fasciolata
- Black-browed Reed-WarblerBlack-browed Reed-warblerThe Black-browed Reed-warbler is a species of marsh-warbler . It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage....
Acrocephalus bistrigiceps - Oriental Reed-WarblerOriental Reed-warblerThe Oriental Reed-warbler is a passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the reed-warbler genus Acrocephalus. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Great Reed-warbler of western Eurasia....
Acrocephalus orientalis - Dusky WarblerDusky WarblerThe Dusky Warbler, Phylloscopus fuscatus, is a leaf warbler which breeds in east Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in southeast Asia. It has a foothold in North America in Alaska, and has also occurred in California...
Phylloscopus fuscatus - Radde's WarblerRadde's WarblerRadde's Warbler, Phylloscopus schwarzi, is a leaf warbler which breeds in Siberia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in southeast Asia....
Phylloscopus schwarzi - Lemon-rumped Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus
- Yellow-browed WarblerYellow-browed WarblerThe Yellow-browed Warbler is a leaf warbler which breeds in temperate Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters mainly in tropical southeast Asia, but also in small numbers in western Europe...
Phylloscopus inornatus - Arctic WarblerArctic WarblerThe Arctic Warbler, Phylloscopus borealis, is a widespread leaf warbler in birch or mixed birch forest near water throughout its breeding range in Fennoscandia and northern Asia. It has established a foothold in North America, breeding in Alaska. This warbler is strongly migratory; the entire...
Phylloscopus borealis - Greenish WarblerGreenish WarblerThe Greenish Warbler and Green Warbler are widespread leaf-warblers throughout their breeding range in northeastern Europe and temperate to subtropical continental Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in India. It is not uncommon as a spring or early autumn vagrant in Western...
Phylloscopus trochiloides - Pale-legged Leaf-WarblerPale-legged Leaf-warblerThe Pale-Legged Leaf-Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Phylloscopidae family.It is found in Cambodia, China, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:*...
Phylloscopus tenellipes - Eastern Crowned Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus
- Marsh GrassbirdMarsh GrassbirdThe Marsh Grassbird , also known as the Japanese Swamp Warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the Locustellidae family. It is found in China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and Russia....
Megalurus pryeri
Old World flycatchers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Muscicapidae
Old World flycatchers are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is very varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls. There 274 species worldwide and 14 species which occur in North Korea.
- Gray-spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa griseisticta
- Siberian Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica
- Asian Brown FlycatcherAsian Brown FlycatcherThe Asian Brown Flycatcher, Muscicapa dauurica, is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It includes the Brown-streaked Flycatcher, which is sometimes considered a distinct species Muscicapa williamsoni....
Muscicapa dauurica - Korean Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia
- Narcissus FlycatcherNarcissus FlycatcherThe Narcissus Flycatcher is a passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is native to east Asia, from Sakhalin to the north, through Japan across through Korea, mainland China, and Taiwan, wintering in southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Borneo...
Ficedula narcissina - Mugimaki FlycatcherMugimaki FlycatcherThe Mugimaki Flycatcher is a small passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the genus Ficedula in the Old World flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. The name "mugimaki" comes from Japanese and means "wheat-sower". The bird is also known as the Robin Flycatcher.It is 13 to 13.5 centimetres long. It...
Ficedula mugimaki - Red-breasted FlycatcherRed-breasted FlycatcherThe Red-breasted Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It breeds in eastern Europe and across central Asia and is migratory, wintering in south Asia. It is a regular passage migrant in western Europe, whereas the Collared Flycatcher which breeds further west is...
Ficedula parva - Blue-and-white FlycatcherBlue-and-White FlycatcherThe Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Cyanoptila cyanomelana is a migratory songbird. It breeds in Japan, Korea, and in parts of China and Russia. It winters in South East Asia, especially in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra and Borneo.-References:...
Cyanoptila cyanomelana - Rufous-tailed RobinRufous-tailed RobinThe Rufous-tailed Robin Luscinia sibilans, also known as Swinhoe's Robin, Swinhoe's Nightingale or Whistling Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
Luscinia sibilans - Siberian RubythroatSiberian RubythroatThe Siberian Rubythroat, Luscinia calliope, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
Luscinia calliope - Siberian Blue RobinSiberian Blue RobinThe Siberian Blue Robin, Luscinia cyane, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, family Muscicapidae. It, and similar small European species, are often called chats...
Luscinia cyane - Red-flanked BluetailRed-flanked BluetailThe Red-flanked Bluetail , also known as the Orange-flanked Bush-robin, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
Tarsiger cyanurus - Daurian RedstartDaurian RedstartThe Daurian Redstart is a small passerine bird from temperate Asia. In Japan, it is known as jōbitaki .-Description and systematics:Like all typical redstarts, they are strongly sexually dimorphic...
Phoenicurus auroreus - Siberian StonechatSiberian StonechatThe Siberian Stonechat or Asian Stonechat is a recently-validated species of the Old World flycatcher family . Like the other thrush-like flycatchers, it was often placed in the Turdidae in the past...
Saxicola maura
Monarch flycatchers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Monarchidae
The monarch flycatchers are small to medium-sized insectivorous passerines, which hunt by flycatching. There are 99 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Japanese Paradise-FlycatcherJapanese Paradise-flycatcherThe Japanese Paradise-flycatcher , also called the Black Paradise-flycatcher, is a medium-sized passerine bird...
Terpsiphone atrocaudata - Asian Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
Parrotbills
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Paradoxornithidae
The parrotbills are a group of birds native to East and Southeast Asia, though feral populations are known from elsewhere. They are generally small, long-tailed birds which inhabit reedbeds and similar habitats. There are 20 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Vinous-throated ParrotbillVinous-throated ParrotbillThe Vinous-throated Parrotbill is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family. It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Taiwan, and Vietnam...
Paradoxornis webbianus
Long-tailed tits
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Aegithalidae
Long-tailed tits are a group of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They make woven bag nests in trees. Most eat a mixed diet that includes insects. There are 9 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Long-tailed TitLong-tailed TitThe Long-tailed Tit or Long-tailed Bushtit is a common bird found throughout Europe and Asia. There are several extensive accounts of this species, most notably Cramp and Perrins, 1993; Gaston, 1973; and Harrap and Quinn, 1996...
Aegithalos caudatus
Chickadees and titmice
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Paridae
The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects. There are species 59 worldwide and 5 species which occur in North Korea.
- Marsh TitMarsh TitThe Marsh Tit Poecile palustris is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae and genus Poecile, closely related to the Willow, Père David's and Songar Tits. It is small with a black crown and nape, pale cheeks, brown back and greyish-brown wings and tail. Between 8 and 11 subspecies are recognised...
Poecile palustris - Willow TitWillow TitThe Willow Tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and northern Asia. It is more of a conifer specialist than the closely related Marsh Tit, which explains it breeding much further north...
Poecile montana - Coal TitCoal TitThe Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate to subtropical Eurasia and northern Africa. The Spot-winged Tit The Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a...
Periparus ater - Great TitGreat TitThe Great Tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa in any sort of woodland. It is generally resident, and most Great Tits do not migrate except in extremely...
Parus major - Varied TitVaried TitThe Varied Tit is a perching bird from the tit family, Paridae. It occurs in eastern Asia in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and locally in northeastern China and extreme southeastern Russia .- Description :It is 12–14 cm long and weighs 16–18 g. The wing length is 6.0–7.8 cm. In the nominate race P. v...
Sittiparus varius
Nuthatches
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sittidae
Sittidae
Sittidae is a family of small passerine birds which contains the single genus Sitta containing about 24 species of nuthatches, which are found across Eurasia and North America....
Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet. There are 24 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Eurasian NuthatchEurasian NuthatchThe Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea, is a small passerine found throughout temperate Europe and Asia, although not in Ireland. It belongs to the nuthatch family Sittidae....
Sitta europaea - Snowy-browed NuthatchSnowy-browed NuthatchThe Snowy-browed Nuthatch is a species of bird in the Sittidae family. It is found in China, North Korea, and South Korea.Its natural habitat is temperate forests.-References:...
Sitta villosa
Treecreepers
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Certhiidae
Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees. There are 6 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris
White-eyes
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Zosteropidae
The white-eyes are small and are mostly of undistinguished appearance, the plumage above being generally either some dull color like greenish olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks. As their name suggests many species have a white ring around the eyes. There are 96 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Chestnut-flanked White-eyeChestnut-flanked White-eyeThe Chestnut-flanked White-eye is a species of bird in the Zosteropidae family.It is found in Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The species is migratory, breeding in northern China and migrating to South East Asia in the...
Zosterops erythropleurus - Japanese White-eyeJapanese White-eyeThe Japanese White-eye , also known as the mejiro , is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. The specific epithet is occasionally written japonica, but this is incorrect due to the gender of the genus. Its native range includes much of east Asia, including Japan, China, Vietnam, Taiwan,...
Zosterops japonicus
Old World orioles
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Oriolidae
The Old World Orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles. There are 29 species worldwide and 1 species which occurs in North Korea.
- Black-naped OrioleBlack-naped OrioleThe Black-naped Oriole is a bird of the oriole family and is found in many parts of Asia. There are several distinctive populations within wide distribution range of the species and in the past the Slender-billed Oriole was included as a subspecies...
Oriolus chinensis
Shrikes
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Laniidae
Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey. There are 31 species worldwide and 4 species which occur in North Korea.
- Tiger ShrikeTiger ShrikeThe Tiger Shrike or Thick-billed Shrike is a small passerine bird which belongs to the genus Lanius in the shrike family, Laniidae. It is found in wooded habitats across eastern Asia. It is a shy, often solitary bird which is less conspicuous than most other shrikes. Like other shrikes it is...
Lanius tigrinus - Bull-headed ShrikeBull-headed ShrikeThe Bull-headed Shrike is a passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the shrike family Laniidae.It is 19-20 cm long. The male has a brown crown, white eyebrow and black mask. The back is grey-brown while the wings are dark with a white patch. The flanks are rufous and the rest of the...
Lanius bucephalus - Brown ShrikeBrown ShrikeThe Brown Shrike is a bird in the shrike family that is found mainly in Asia. It is closely related to the Red-backed Shrike and Isabelline Shrike . Like most other shrikes, it has a distinctive black "bandit-mask" through the eye...
Lanius cristatus - Chinese Gray Shrike Lanius sphenocercus
Crows, jays, ravens and magpies
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Corvidae
Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
The Corvidae family includes crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s, jay
Jay
The jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family Corvidae. The names jay and magpie are somewhat interchangeable, and the evolutionary relationships are rather complex...
s, chough
Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
s, magpie
Magpie
Magpies are passerine birds of the crow family, Corvidae.In Europe, "magpie" is often used by English speakers as a synonym for the European Magpie, as there are no other magpies in Europe outside Iberia...
s, treepie
Treepie
The treepies comprise four closely related genera of long-tailed passerine birds in the family Corvidae...
s, nutcracker
Nutcracker (bird)
The nutcrackers are a genus of two species of passerine bird, in the family Corvidae, related to the jays and crows. One, the Spotted Nutcracker , occurs in Europe and Asia, the other, Clark's Nutcracker , in western North America.The most important food resources for both these species are the...
s, and ground jay
Ground jay
The ground jays or ground choughs belong to a distinct group of the passerine order of birds in the genus Podoces of the crow family Corvidae...
s. Corvids are above average in size for the bird order Passeriformes. Some of the larger species show high levels of learning behavior. There are 120 species worldwide and 8 species which occur in North Korea.
- Eurasian JayEurasian JayThe Eurasian Jay is a species of bird occurring over a vast region from Western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian Subcontinent and further to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia...
Garrulus glandarius - Azure-winged MagpieAzure-winged MagpieThe Azure-winged Magpie is a bird in the crow family. It is 31–35 cm long and similar in overall shape to the European Magpie but is more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It belongs to the monotypical genus Cyanopica.It has a glossy black top to the head and a white throat...
Cyanopica cyana - Eurasian Magpie Pica pica
- Eurasian Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes
- Daurian JackdawDaurian JackdawThe Daurian Jackdaw is a member of the Corvidae or crow family of birds. It is closely related to the Eurasian Jackdaw. The name derives from the Dauria region of eastern Russia....
Corvus dauuricus - RookRook (bird)The Rook is a member of the Corvidae family in the passerine order of birds. Named by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, the species name frugilegus is Latin for "food-gathering"....
Corvus frugilegus - Carrion CrowCarrion CrowThe Carrion Crow is a member of the passerine order of birds and the crow family which is native to western Europe and eastern Asia.-Taxonomy:...
Corvus corone - Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos
Starlings
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sturnidae
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct, and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen. There are 125 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Daurian Starling Sturnia sturnina
- White-cheeked StarlingWhite-cheeked StarlingThe White-cheeked Starling or Grey Starling is a passerine bird of the starling family. It is native to eastern Asia where it is a common and well-known bird in much of its range. Usually, it is placed in the genus Sturnus, but sometimes it is united with the typical mynas in Acridotheres...
Sturnus cineraceus
Buntings, sparrows, seedeaters and allies
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Emberizidae
Emberizidae
The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill. In Europe, most species are named as buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as Sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns. There are species 275 worldwide and 13 species which occur in North Korea.
- Pine BuntingPine BuntingThe Pine Bunting, Emberiza leucocephalos, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group most modern authors now separate from the finches, Fringillidae.-Breeding and habitat:...
Emberiza leucocephalos - Meadow BuntingMeadow BuntingThe Meadow Bunting or Siberian Meadow Bunting is a passerine bird of eastern Asia which belongs to the genus Emberiza in the bunting family Emberizidae....
Emberiza cioides - Rufous-backed BuntingRufous-backed BuntingThe Rufous-backed Bunting is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family.It is found in China, North Korea, and Russia.Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and temperate grassland.It is threatened by habitat loss....
Emberiza jankowskii - Ochre-rumped BuntingOchre-rumped BuntingThe Japanese Reed Bunting or Ochre-rumped Bunting is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family.It is found in China, Hong Kong, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Russia....
Emberiza yessoensis - Chestnut-eared BuntingChestnut-eared BuntingThe Chestnut-eared Bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae.-Description:...
Emberiza fucata - Little BuntingLittle BuntingThe Little Bunting, Emberiza pusilla, is a passerine bird. It belongs to the bunting and American sparrow family , a group separated by most modern authors from the true finches .-Description:...
Emberiza pusilla - Yellow-throated BuntingYellow-throated BuntingThe Yellow-throated Bunting is a species of bird in the Emberizidae family.It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Myanmar, Russia, and Taiwan. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
Emberiza elegans - Yellow-breasted BuntingYellow-breasted BuntingThe Yellow-breasted Bunting, Emberiza aureola, is an Eurasian passerine bird in the bunting family .This bird is similar in size to a Reed Bunting, but longer-billed...
Emberiza aureola - Yellow BuntingYellow BuntingThe Yellow Bunting or Japanese Yellow Bunting is a passerine bird of eastern Asia which belongs to the genus Emberiza in the bunting family Emberizidae....
Emberiza sulphurata - Black-faced BuntingBlack-faced BuntingThe Black-faced Bunting, Emberiza spodocephala , is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
Emberiza spodocephala - Pallas's Bunting Emberiza pallasi
- Reed BuntingReed BuntingThe Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
Emberiza schoeniclus - Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
Siskins, crossbills and allies
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Fringillidae
Finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. There are 137 species worldwide and 16 species which occur in North Korea.
- BramblingBramblingThe Brambling, Fringilla montifringilla, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.- Etymology :The common English name is probably derived from the German "brâma", meaning bramble or a thorny bush. It has also been called the Cock o' the North and the Mountain Finch.- Description...
Fringilla montifringilla - Asian Rosy-Finch Leucosticte arctoa
- Pine GrosbeakPine Grosbeakleft|thumb|Adult femaleThe Pine Grosbeak is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Canada, and in subarctic Fennoscandia and Siberia...
Pinicola enucleator - Common RosefinchCommon RosefinchThe Common Rosefinch is the most widespread and common rosefinch of Europe, where it has spread westward from Asia in recent decades: it has even been recorded breeding in England once...
Carpodacus erythrinus - Pallas's RosefinchPallas's RosefinchThe Pallas' Rosefinch is a species of bird in the finch family Fringillidae.It is found in China, Japan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, and Russia...
Carpodacus roseus - Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
- White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
- Common RedpollCommon RedpollThe Common Redpoll is a species in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic Redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs. Nominate C. f. flammea breeds across the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. There is also an Icelandic subspecies, Icelandic Redpoll...
Carduelis flammea - Hoary Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni
- Eurasian SiskinEurasian SiskinThe Eurasian Siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European Siskin, Common Siskin or just Siskin. Other names include Black-headed Goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Asia...
Carduelis spinus - Oriental GreenfinchOriental GreenfinchThe Oriental Greenfinch or Grey-capped Greenfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. If the genus Carduelis is split up, this species would go into Chloris with the other greenfinches and the Desert Finch.It nests in trees or bushes, laying 3-5 eggs.-References: Database...
Carduelis sinica - Eurasian BullfinchEurasian BullfinchThe Bullfinch, Common Bullfinch or Eurasian Bullfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. In Anglophone Europe it is known simply as Bullfinch, as it is the original bird to bear the name bullfinch.This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia...
Pyrrhula pyrrhula - HawfinchHawfinchThe Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes, is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Its closest living relatives are the Evening Grosbeak from North America and the Hooded Grosbeak from Central America especially Mexico.This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia...
Coccothraustes coccothraustes - Yellow-billed GrosbeakYellow-billed GrosbeakThe Yellow-billed Grosbeak or Chinese Grosbeak is a species of finch in the Fringillidae family.It can be found in the following countries: China, Hong Kong, Japan, North and South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam.It is found in these habitats: temperate...
Eophona migratoria - Japanese GrosbeakJapanese GrosbeakThe Japanese Grosbeak, Eophona personata, is a finch native to East Asia....
Eophona personata - Long-tailed RosefinchLong-tailed RosefinchThe Long-tailed Rosefinch is a species of finch of the Fringillidae family, in the presently monotypic genus Uragus. Some other rosefinches might eventually be moved there, however....
Uragus sibiricus
Sparrows
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Passeridae
Sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed-eaters, and they also consume small insects. There are 35 species worldwide and 2 species which occur in North Korea.
- Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus