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-formes

Also ‑iformes.

Orders of animals.

Latin, plural of forma, form.

Terms here are systematic names, mainly for orders of birds, but also fish. All contain the linking vowel ‑i‑ before the ending. Examples are Perciformes (Latin perca, perch), a large order of nearly half of all bony fishes, including perch; Anguilliformes (Latin anguilla, eel), an order comprising the eels; Passeriformes (Latin passer, sparrow), a large order of birds with feet adapted for perching, including all songbirds; Ciconiiformes (Latin ciconia, stork), the order that includes the herons, storks, and egrets; and Psittaciformes (Latin psittacus, parrot), the order of the parrots, parakeets and budgerigars.

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