Screamers to Woodswallows

Below a list of bird families of which I photographed less than 6 different species, often because the family is very small and does have just a few species or because I did not get the change so far to photograph more. All families of which I photographed more than 5 different species do have their own page.

On this page, you will find small families from S to Z. Just click the family name to jump to the description and the pictures.

Click on one of the thumbnails to see a bigger photograph. To make it easier you will find the genus name combined with the species name (visible when displaying the photograph)

 

Family name:

Screamers

Secretarybird

Seedsnipes

Seriemas

Shoebill

Silky Flycatchers

Skuas

Stilts, Avocets

Storm Petrels

Sugarbirds

Sunbittern

Swifts

Tapaculos

Tinamous

Treecreepers

Treeswifts

Tropicbirds

Trumpeters

Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-Babblers

Wallcreeper

Waxwings

Woodhoopoes, Scimitarbills

Woodswallows, Butcherbirds

 

Screamers occur only in South America, ranging from Colombia to northern Argentina. They are large, bulky birds, with a small downy head, long legs and large feet which are only partially webbed.

The family is Anhimidae

There are 3 species placed in 2 genera

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

The Secretarybird is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and is generally non-migratory, though it may be locally nomadic as it follows rainfall and the resulting abundance of prey. Its range extends from Senegal to Somalia and south to Cape Province, South Africa. The secretarybird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs that give the bird a height of as much as 1.3 m.

The family is Sagittariidae

There are 1 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

Seedsnipes are a small family of small gregarious waders which have adapted to a herbivorous diet.  The family has a South American distribution, in the Andean and Patagonian regions.

The family is Thinocoridae

There are 4 species placed in 2 genera

So far I have photographed 2 different species. In case I photographed male and female I have added a photograph of both.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

Seriemas are large, long-legged territorial birds that range from 70 to 90 cm. They live in grasslands, savanna, dry woodland and open forests of Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The family is Cariamidae

There are 2 species placed in 2 genera

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

The Shoebill is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its enormous shoe-shaped bill.  The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps from South Sudan to Zambia.

The family is Balaenicipitidae

There are 1 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

The Silky Flycatchers are a small group of elegant birds found only in Central America and the southwestern United States.

The family is Ptiliogonatidae

There are 4 species placed in 3 genera

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

Skuas with their strong hooked bills are raptorial birds of the open sea. Jaegers and skuas are relentless predators and pirates, terrorizing other seabirds.

The family is Stercorariidae

There are 7 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 4 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

Avocets and Stilts are a cosmopolitan family, being distributed on all the world's continents except Antarctica, and occurring on several oceanic islands. Several species are wide-ranging and a few are locally distributed.

The family is Recurvirostridae

There are 9 species placed in 3 genera

So far I have photographed 4 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

Northern Storm Petrels are found in the Northern Hemisphere, although some species around the Equator dip into the south. Southern Storm Petrels are found in all oceans.
They are inhabitants of the open sea, and can often be seen following ships or cetaceans. When foraging, they tend to rest their webbed feet on the water while fluttering their wings.

The family is Oceanitidae (Southern Storm Petrels) and Hydrobatidae (Northern Storm Petrels)

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

The Sugarbirds are birds, restricted to southern Africa. In general appearance and habits, they resemble large, long-tailed sunbirds, but are possibly more closely related to the Australian honeyeaters. They have brownish plumage, the long downcurved bill typical of passerine nectar feeders, and long tail feathers.

The family is Promeropidae

There are 2 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 2 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

The Sunbittern is a heron-like bird of wooded streams and marshes in the Neotropics.  When alarmed, the Sunbittern is quick to flash open its wings and tail, revealing, like the startle display of an enormous underwing moth, the striking gold, red, black, and silver pattern that gives it its name.

The family is Eurypygidae

There are 1 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

Swifts are a family of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows but are not closely related to any passerine species.

The family is Apodidae

There are 112 species placed in 18 genera

So far I have photographed 2 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

 

Tapaculos are among the most secretive Neotropical birds, most species live in dense undergrowth habitats ranging from lowland forest to high-altitude puna.

The family is Rhinocryptidae

There are 60 species placed in 12 genera

So far I have photographed 2 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Tinamous are elusive birds in just about every terrestrial habitat in the Neotropics.

The family is Tinamidae

There are 46 species placed in 9 genera

So far I have photographed 2 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

The Treecreepers are widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa.  Their plumage is dull-colored, and as their name implies, they climb over the surface of trees in search of food.

The family is Certhiidae

There are 11 species placed in 2 genera

So far I have photographed 5 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Treeswifts spend less time flying than true swifts, and though they may fly somewhat more slowly and with deeper wing-strokes, their flight still most closely resembles that of the swifts.

The family is Hemiprocnidae

There are 4 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species. In case I photographed male and female I have added a photograph of both.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Tropicbirds are elegant white birds of tropical seas, with long central tail feathers that stream behind them.

The family is Phaethontidae

There are 3 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Trumpeters are mid-sized ground birds of the lowland rainforests of South America.

The family is Psophiidae

There are 3 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Vireos, Greenlets and Shrike-Babblers are found in the New World (Canada to Argentina, including Bermuda and the West Indies) and Southeast Asia.

The family is Vireonidae

There are 63 species placed in 8 genera

So far I have photographed 4 different species. In case I photographed male and female I have added a photograph of both.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

The Wallcreeper is a bird of the rocky alpine regions of Europe and Asia, the Wallcreeper blends into grey rock faces as it forages for invertebrates, until it takes flight, flashing bright red and pink flight feathers.

The family is Tichodromidae

There are 1 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species. In case I photographed male and female I have added a photograph of both.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Waxwings are birds of the Northern Hemisphere. They are the only birds outside the tropics to feed fruit to their young.

The family is Bombycillidae

There are 3 species placed in 1 genus

So far I have photographed 1 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Woodhoopoes and Scimitarbills are residents of savanna and forests of sub-Saharan Africa.

The family is Phoeniculidae

There are 8 species placed in 2 genera

So far I have photographed 5 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020

 

 

 

Woodswallows and Butcherbirds inhabit forests, gardens, and open areas from Australia to Southeast Asia.

The family is Artamidae

There are 24 species placed in 5 genera

So far I have photographed 3 different species.

Updated 14/06/2020