18,000 Bird Species Exist in the World

The scientists from American Museum of Natural History have revealed the fact that there are over 18,000 different bird families exist worldwide. The researchers have done a deep study on birds’ kinds. After the study, the scientists found that kinds of species which seem similar actually belong to different groups.

 According to the scientists, birds are traditionally thought of as a well-researched group. Earlier, it was believed that more than 95 percent of birds’ global species diversity has been described. However, data used by the bird watchers as well as by scientists say that there are between 9,000 and 10,000 species of birds. The data and number revealed by the bird watchers and scientists are based on biological species, concept that defines species in terms of animals’-breeding system. The scientists said the method has become outdated and rarely used in classification of birds.

The researchers also surveyed existing genetic studies of birds, which revealed that there could be more than 20,000 species. However, the birds in this body of work were not selected aimlessly. Some category of birds was chosen for the survey because of their interesting hereditary variation, stated the scientists.