The birds of Asia are diverse. The avifauna of Asia includes 3845 species.
The taxonomy of this list adheres to James Clements' Birds of the World: A Checklist, 2022 edition. Taxonomic changes are on-going. As more research is gathered from studies of distribution, behaviour, and DNA, the order and number of families and species may change. Furthermore, different approaches to ornithological nomenclature have led to concurrent systems of classification (see Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy).
The area includes Russia east of the Ural River and Ural Mountains and the Russian Arctic islands east of Novaya Zemlya, as well as Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. The area is separated from Africa by the Suez Canal. In the Indian Ocean it includes Sri Lanka, Lakshadweep (the Laccadive Islands), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It includes the Russian islands in the Bering Sea and North Pacific, Japan, the Izu Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories. The commonly occurring native species do not fall into any of these categories.
(A) Accidental - a species that rarely or accidentally occurs in Asia
(I) Introduced - a species introduced to Asia as a consequence, direct or indirect, of human actions (Ex) Extirpated - a species that no longer occurs in Asia although populations exist elsewhere (X) Extinct - a species or subspecies that no longer exists.
Ostriches
Order: StruthioniformesFamily: Struthionidae
The ostrich is a flightless bird native to Africa. It is the largest living species of bird. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at high speeds.
Common ostrich, Struthio camelus
Arabian ostrich, Struthio camelus syriacus (X) North African ostrich, Struthio camelus camelus (I)
Cassowaries and emu
Order: StruthioniformesFamily: Casuariidae
The cassowaries are large flightless birds native to Australia and New Guinea.
Southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius
Dwarf cassowary, Casuarius bennetii
Northern cassowary, Casuarius unappendiculatus
Magpie goose
Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anseranatidae
The family contains a single species, the magpie goose. It was an early and distinctive offshoot of the anseriform family tree, diverging after the screamers and before all other ducks, geese and swans, sometime in the late Cretaceous.
Magpie goose, Anseranas semipalmata
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl
Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.