This is a list of bird species recorded in South America. South America is the "Bird Continent": It boasts records of 3471 species, more than any other. (Much larger Eurasia is second with 3350.) Colombia's list alone numbers 1867 confirmed species, and both Brazil's and Peru's confirmed lists also exceed 1850. Of the continent's species, 2517 are endemic, significantly more than Eurasia's 2285. Nine entire families, containing 21 species, are endemic to the continent.[1][2][3]
Of the 2517 endemic species, 238 are found only in Brazil and 336 are only in one of 12 other countries and territories. Seventeen of the 3471 total species have been introduced to South America. In addition, 107 of the species are vagrants to the continent, with only a few records, and some have made only a single appearance. Twenty-nine species have been recorded in all 18 countries and territories addressed here.[2]
The list includes birds confirmed in mainland South America, islands within 1200 km of its Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and the Caribbean countries and territories of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Trinidad and Tobago. Major offshore entities include the Falkland Islands (Islas las Malvinas), the Galápagos Islands, and the Juan Fernandez Islands. Waters within 200 nautical miles of these lands are also included.[1]
Unless otherwise noted, the list of species is that of the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society (AOS). The list's taxonomy (names and sequence of orders, families, and species) is also that of the SACC unless noted otherwise. The list does not include domestic birds or escaped and introduced species which do not have established populations. It also does not include the results of species splits and other changes which have been accepted by the SACC but not finalized.[1]
The following tags annotate many species: