In the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, published in 1758, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus described 554 species of bird and gave each a binomial name.
Linnaeus had first included birds in the 6th edition of his Systema Naturae, which was published in 1748. In it he listed 260 species arranged into 51 genera, in turn divided amongst six orders. The entries for each species were very brief; rather than including a description, he gave a citation to an earlier publication — often to his own Fauna suecica, which had been published in 1746. Linnaeus generally followed the classification scheme introduced by the English parson and naturalist John Ray which grouped species based on the characteristics of each species’ bill and feet.
The 10th edition appeared in 1758 and was the first in which Linnaeus consistently used his binomial system of nomenclature. He increased the number of birds to 554 species, collectively filling 116 pages (contrasting with a mere 17 in the 6th edition). For each species he included a brief description together with one or more citations to earlier publications. He maintained 6 orders as in the 6th edition but renamed Scolopaces to Grallae. He rearranged some of the genera, dropping several and adding others to bring the total to 63.
Living in Sweden, Linnaeus did not have access to a large collection of bird specimens. In order to expand the Systema Naturae for the 10th edition, he relied on earlier publications by other authors. For many birds his description was based on George Edwards's A Natural History of Uncommon Birds which contained 210 hand-coloured plates, nearly all of which were of birds. The four volumes were published between 1743 and 1751. For many North America species Linnaeus relied on Mark Catesby's The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands which included 220 plates of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, mammals and plants. It was published in parts between 1729 and 1747.
Linnaeus was not familiar with the species he described, which meant that his classification was often very defective. He sometimes placed very similar birds in different genera. For example, the 10th edition of Systema Naturae includes two subspecies of the common kingfisher, one of which he placed in the genus Gracula and the other in the genus Alcedo. Similarly, he included two subspecies of the red-whiskered bulbul, one of which he placed in Lanius and the other in Motacilla. In his list Linnaeus included two penguins. He placed the southern rockhopper penguin together with the red-billed tropicbird in the genus Phaethon while the African penguin he placed together with the wandering albatross in the genus Diomedea.
The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has selected 1 January 1758 as the "starting point" for zoological nomenclature, and stated that the 10th edition of Systema Naturae was to be treated as if published on that date. In 2016 the list of birds of the world maintained by Frank Gill and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithologists' Union included 448 species for which Linnaeus's description in the 10th edition is cited as the authority. Of these species, 101 have been retained in their original genus and 347 have been moved to a different genus. In addition, there are six species on Linnaeus's 1758 list that are now considered as subspecies. Of Linnaeus's 63 genera, only Tantalus and Colymbus are not now used.
In the 12th edition of his Systema Naturae published in 1766, Linnaeus described many additional birds that had not been included in the 10th edition. The 12th edition included 931 bird species divided into 6 orders and 78 genera. The 12th edition is cited as the authority for 257 modern species of which only 25 have been retained in their original genus. There are now believed to be around 10,000 extant species.
Linnaeus described the class Aves as:
A beautiful and cheerful portion of created nature consisting of animals having a body covered with feathers and down; protracted and naked jaws (the beak), two wings formed for flight, and two feet. They are aereal, vocal, swift and light, and destitute of external ears, lips, teeth, scrotum, womb, bladder, epiglottis, corpus callosum and its arch, and diaphragm.
Linnaean Characteristics
Heart: 2 auricles, 2 ventricles. Warm, dark red blood
Lungs: respires alternately
Jaw: incombent, naked, extended, without teeth
Eggs: covered with a calcareous shell
Organs of Sense: tongue, nostrils, eyes, and ears without auricles
Covering: incumbent, imbricate feathers
Supports: 2 feet, 2 wings; and a heart-shaped rump. Flies in the Air & Sings
In the list below, the binomial name is that used by Linnaeus.
Tantalus loculator – the "wood ibis", a synonym for the wood stork
Ardea (herons, cranes & kin)
Ardea pavonina – black crowned crane
Ardea virgo – demoiselle crane
Ardea canadensis – sandhill crane
Ardea grus – common crane
Ardea americana – whooping crane
Ardea antigone – sarus crane
Ardea ciconia – white stork
Ardea nigra – black stork
Ardea nycticorax – black-crowned night heron
Ardea cinerea – grey heron
Ardea herodias – great blue heron
Ardea violacea – yellow-crowned night heron
Ardea caerulea – little blue heron
Ardea striata – striated heron
Ardea virescens – green heron
Ardea stellaris – Eurasian bittern
Ardea alba – great egret
Ardea ibis – cattle egret
Ardea aequinoctialis
Scolopax (godwits, ibises & kin)
Scolopax rubra – scarlet ibis
Scolopax alba – American white ibis
Scolopax fusca – synonym of American white ibis
Scolopax totanus – common redshank
Scolopax arquata – Eurasian curlew
Scolopax phaeopus – whimbrel
Scolopax rusticola – Eurasian woodcock
Scolopax fedoa – marbled godwit
Scolopax glottis – common greenshank (now Tringa nebularia)
Scolopax limosa – black-tailed godwit
Scolopax gallinago – common snipe
Scolopax lapponica – bar-tailed godwit
Scolopax aegocephala – synonym of bar-tailed godwit
Scolopax haemastica – Hudsonian godwit
Tringa (phalaropes and sandpipers)
Tringa pugnax – ruff
Tringa vanellus – northern lapwing
Tringa gambetta – synonym of the common redshank
Tringa interpres – ruddy turnstone
Tringa lobata – red-necked phalarope
Tringa fulicaria – red phalarope
Tringa alpina – dunlin
Tringa ocrophus – green sandpiper
Tringa hypoleucos – common sandpiper
Tringa canutus – red knot
Tringa glareola – wood sandpiper
Tringa littorea – synonym of wood sandpiper
Tringa squatarola – grey plover
Charadrius (plovers)
Charadrius cristatus
Charadrius hiaticula – common ringed plover
Charadrius alexandrinus – Kentish plover
Charadrius vociferus – killdeer
Charadrius aegyptius – Egyptian plover
Charadrius morinellus – Eurasian dotterel
Charadrius apricarius – European golden plover
Charadrius pluvialis – synonym European golden plover
Charadrius oedicnemus – Eurasian stone-curlew
Charadrius himantopus – black-winged stilt
Charadrius spinosus – spur-winged lapwing
Recurvirostra (avocets)
Recurvirostra avosetta – pied avocet
Haematopus (oystercatchers)
Haematopus ostralegus – Eurasian oystercatcher
Fulica (coots & kin)
Fulica atra – Eurasian coot
Fulica chloropus – common moorhen
Fulica porphyrio – western swamphen
Fulica spinosa – northern jacana
Rallus (rails)
Rallus crex – corn crake
Rallus aquaticus – water rail
Rallus lariformis
Rallus benghalensis – greater painted-snipe
Rallus carolinus – sora
Psophia (trumpeters)
Psophia crepitans – grey-winged trumpeter
Otis (bustards)
Otis tarda – great bustard
Otis arabs – Arabian bustard
Otis tetrax – little bustard
Otis afra – southern black korhaan
Struthio (ratites)
Struthio camelus – ostrich
Struthio casuarius – southern cassowary
Struthio americanus – greater rhea
Struthio cucullatus – dodo
Gallinae
Pavo (peafowl)
Pavo cristatus – Indian peafowl
Pavo bicalcaratus – grey peacock-pheasant
Meleagris (turkeys)
Meleagris gallopavo – wild turkey
Meleagris cristata
Meleagris satyra – satyr tragopan
Crax (curassows)
Crax nigra
Crax rubra – great curassow
Phasianus (pheasants & chickens)
Phasianus gallus – red junglefowl & domesticated chicken
Phasianus meleagris – helmeted guineafowl
Phasianus colchicus – common pheasant
Phasianus pictus – golden pheasant
Phasianus nycthemerus – silver pheasant
Tetrao (grouse & kin)
Tetrao urogallus – western capercaillie
Tetrao tetrix – black grouse
Tetrao canadensis – spruce grouse
Tetrao lagopus – willow ptarmigan
Tetrao phasianellus – sharp-tailed grouse
Tetrao cupido – greater prairie chicken
Tetrao bonasia – hazel grouse
Tetrao rufus – red-legged partridge
Tetrao perdix – grey partridge
Tetrao virginianus – northern bobwhite
Tetrao marilandicus – synonym of northern bobwhite
Tetrao orientalis – black-bellied sandgrouse
Tetrao coturnix – common quail
Passeres
Columba (pigeons & doves)
Columba oenas – stock dove
Columba domestica – alternative name for the rock dove (Columba livia Gmelin JF, 1789)
Columba gutturosa – pouter, a breed of rock dove
Columba cucullata – Jacobin pigeon, a breed of rock dove
Columba turbita – turbit, a breed of rock dove
Columba tremula – broad-tailed shaker, a breed of rock dove
Columba tabellaria – homing pigeon, a breed of rock dove
Columba montana – ruddy quail-dove
Columba asiatica – white-winged dove
Columba guinea – speckled pigeon
Columba hispanica - Roman pigeon, a breed of rock dove
Columba palumbus – common wood pigeon
Columba cyanocephala – blue-headed quail-dove
Columba leucocephala – white-crowned pigeon
Columba leucoptera - synonym white-winged dove
Columba nicobarica – Nicobar pigeon
Columba macroura – mourning dove
Columba sinica - China dove, unknown and possibly extinct species
Columba indica – common emerald dove
Columba hispida - silky feathered pigeon, a breed of rock dove
Columba turtur – European turtle dove
Columba risoria – Barbary dove
Columba passerina – common ground dove
Alauda (larks & pipits)
Alauda arvensis – Eurasian skylark
Alauda pratensis – meadow pipit
Alauda arborea – woodlark
Alauda campestris – tawny pipit
Alauda trivialis – tree pipit
Alauda cristata – crested lark
Alauda spinoletta – water pipit
Alauda alpestris – horned lark
Alauda magna – eastern meadowlark
Sturnus (starlings)
Sturnus vulgaris – common starling
Sturnus luteolus – synonym for the black-hooded oriole
Sturnus contra – Indian pied myna
Sturnus cinclus – white-throated dipper
Turdus (thrushes & kin)
Turdus viscivorus – mistle thrush
Turdus pilaris – fieldfare
Turdus iliacus – redwing
Turdus musicus – a suppressed name for the song thrush (now Turdus philomelos Brehm, 1831)
Turdus canorus – Chinese hwamei
Turdus rufus – brown thrasher
Turdus polyglottos – northern mockingbird
Turdus orpheus – subspecies of northern mockingbird
Turdus plumbeus – red-legged thrush
Turdus crinitus – great crested flycatcher
Turdus roseus – rosy starling
Turdus merula – common blackbird
Turdus torquatus – ring ouzel
Turdus solitarius – blue rock thrush
Turdus arundinaceus – great reed warbler
Turdus virens – yellow-breasted chat
Loxia (cardinals, bullfinches & kin)
Loxia curvirostra – red crossbill
Loxia coccothraustes – hawfinch
Loxia enucleator – pine grosbeak
Loxia pyrrhula – Eurasian bullfinch
Loxia cardinalis – northern cardinal
Loxia dominicana – red-cowled cardinal
Loxia cristata
Loxia mexicana
Loxia eryocephala – red-headed finch (a misspelling of erythrocephala)
Loxia flavicans
Loxia oryzivora – Java sparrow
Loxia panicivora
Loxia punctulata – scaly-breasted munia
Loxia hordeacea – black-winged red bishop
Loxia sanguinirostris
Loxia astrild – common waxbill
Loxia cyanea – suppressed name for the ultramarine grosbeak
Loxia lineola – lined seedeater
Loxia mexicana
Loxia chloris – European greenfinch
Loxia butyracea
Loxia collaria
Loxia benghalensis – black-breasted weaver
Loxia malabarica – Indian silverbill
Loxia fusca
Loxia melanocephala – black-headed weaver
Loxia cana
Loxia nigra – Cuban bullfinch
Loxia caerulea – blue grosbeak
Loxia violacea – Greater Antillean bullfinch
Loxia minuta – ruddy-breasted seedeater
Loxia bicolor
Emberiza (buntings)
Emberiza nivalis – snow bunting
Emberiza calandra – corn bunting
Emberiza hortulana – ortolan bunting
Emberiza citrinella – yellowhammer
Emberiza orix – southern red bishop
Emberiza quelea – red-billed quelea
Emberiza militaris – red-breasted meadowlark
Emberiza atrata
Emberiza familiaris
Emberiza flaveola
Emberiza psittacea
Emberiza paradisaea – long-tailed paradise whydah
Emberiza ciris – painted bunting
Emberiza alario – black-headed canary
Fringilla (finches & kin)
Fringilla oryzivora – bobolink
Fringilla coelebs – Eurasian chaffinch
Fringilla montifringilla – brambling
Fringilla lulensis
Fringilla lapponica – Lapland longspur
Fringilla sylvatica
Fringilla melancholica
Fringilla erythrophthalma – eastern towhee
Fringilla carduelis – European goldfinch
Fringilla melba – green-winged pytilia
Fringilla amandava – red avadavat
Fringilla gyrola – bay-headed tanager
Fringilla rubra – summer tanager
Fringilla tristis – American goldfinch
Fringilla zena – western spindalis
Fringilla brasiliana
Fringilla butyracea
Fringilla canaria – canary
Fringilla spinus – Eurasian siskin
Fringilla flammea – common redpoll
Fringilla flavirostris – twite
Fringilla cannabina – common linnet
Fringilla linaria - junior synonym of common redpoll
Fringilla angolensis – blue waxbill
Fringilla violacea – violaceous euphonia
Fringilla schoeniclus – common reed bunting
Fringilla domestica – house sparrow
Fringilla montana – Eurasian tree sparrow
Fringilla chinensis
Fringilla hyemalis – dark-eyed junco
Fringilla zena – repeat of binomial name for western spindalis above
Motacilla (wagtails)
Motacilla luscinia – thrush nightingale
Motacilla calidris – [nomen dubium]
Motacilla modularis – dunnock
Motacilla schoenobaenus – sedge warbler
Motacilla campestris – orangequit
Motacilla curruca – lesser whitethroat
Motacilla hippolais
Motacilla salicaria
Motacilla sylvia
Motacilla philomela
Motacilla ficedula
Motacilla alba – white wagtail
Motacilla flava – yellow wagtail
Motacilla tiphia – common iora
Motacilla ruticilla – American redstart
Motacilla hispanica – black-eared wheatear
Motacilla oenanthe – northern wheatear
Motacilla rubetra – whinchat
Motacilla atricapilla – Eurasian blackcap
Motacilla emeria – subspecies of red-whiskered bulbul
Motacilla phoenicurus – common redstart
Motacilla erithacus
Motacilla titys – female of the common redstart
Motacilla svecica – bluethroat
Motacilla sialis – eastern bluebird
Motacilla velia – opal-rumped tanager
Motacilla spiza – green honeycreeper
Motacilla rubecula – European robin
Motacilla troglodytes – Eurasian wren
Motacilla regulus – goldcrest
Motacilla trochilus – willow warbler
Motacilla acredula – subspecies of willow warbler
Motacilla pendulinus – Eurasian penduline tit
Motacilla minuta
Parus (tits & manakins)
Parus cristatus – crested tit
Parus major – great tit
Parus americanus – northern parula
Parus caeruleus – Eurasian blue tit
Parus ater – coal tit
Parus palustris – marsh tit
Parus caudatus – long-tailed tit
Parus biarmicus – bearded reedling
Parus pipra – white-crowned manakin
Parus erythrocephalus – golden-headed manakin
Parus aureola – crimson-hooded manakin
Parus cela – yellow-rumped cacique
Hirundo (swallows & swifts)
Hirundo rustica – barn swallow
Hirundo esculenta – glossy swiftlet
Hirundo urbica – western house martin
Hirundo riparia – sand martin
Hirundo apus – common swift
Hirundo subis – purple martin
Hirundo pelagica – chimney swift
Hirundo melba – alpine swift
Caprimulgus (nightjars)
Caprimulgus europaeus – European nightjar
Caprimulgus americanus – Jamaican poorwill
Notes
References
Sources
Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturæ per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii.