List of birds of Pakistan

This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) generally follow the conventions of The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 2022 edition.

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.

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres.

Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.

Order: Otidiformes   Family: Otididae Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World.

The sarus crane which is found in abundant numbers in India has almost disappeared in Pakistan although a lone pair was sighted in 2011 in the tharparker area after 10 years.

The adult is grey with a white belly, red legs, a long down curved bill, and a black face and breast band.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Rostratulidae Painted-snipe are short-legged, long-billed birds similar in shape to the true snipes, but more brightly coloured.

Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head.

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans, with exceptionally long central tail feathers.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills.

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae Darters are often called "snake-birds" because of their long thin neck, which gives a snake-like appearance when they swim with their bodies submerged.

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Upupidae Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head.

Order: Bucerotiformes   Family: Bucerotidae Hornbills are a group of birds whose bill is shaped like a cow's horn, but without a twist, sometimes with a casque on the upper mandible.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails.

They range from 13 to 28 centimetres in length, and live in the dense canopies of wet forests, allowing them to hide despite their brightly coloured plumage.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Coraciidae Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters.

They are named for the greater honeyguide which leads traditional honey-hunters to bees' nests and, after the hunters have harvested the honey, feeds on the remaining contents of the hive.

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Pittidae Pittas are medium-sized by passerine standards and are stocky, with fairly long, strong legs, short tails and stout bills.

Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage.

[3] Order: Passeriformes   Family: Aegithalidae Long-tailed tits are a group of small passerine birds with medium to long tails.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Zosteropidae The white-eyes are small and mostly undistinguished, their plumage above being generally some dull colour like greenish-olive, but some species have a white or bright yellow throat, breast or lower parts, and several have buff flanks.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Timaliidae The babblers, or timaliids, are somewhat diverse in size and colouration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cinclidae Dippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae The waxwings are a group of birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hypocoliidae The hypocolius is a small Middle Eastern bird with the shape and soft plumage of a waxwing.