| Summary: | A variety of <i>Chlamydia</i> species belonging to the <i>Chlamydiaceae</i> family have been reported in birds. Until recently, <i>C. psittaci</i> was considered to be the most common avian species, although found in both birds and mammals, while <i>C. abortus</i> has only been found in mammals. Recently, a new group of avian <i>C. abortus</i> strains with worldwide distribution in various wild bird families has been described. In this study, whole genome sequencing (WGS) of three of these strains (15-70d24, 15-49d3 and 15-58d44, representing genotypes G1, G2 and 1V, respectively) that were isolated from wild birds were analysed. Genome assemblies based on both short-read Illumina and long-read Nanopore data indicate that these avian <i>C. abortus</i> strains show features characteristic of both <i>C. abortus</i> and <i>C. psittaci</i> species, although phylogenetic analyses demonstrate a closer relationship with classical <i>C. abortus</i> strains. Currently, species classification established by the ICSP Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Chlamydiae, determines that these avian <i>C. abortus</i> strains 15-70d24, 15-49d3 and 15-58d44 should be classified as <i>C. abortus</i>. However, the authors of this study conclude that the current taxonomic definition of <i>C. abortus</i> is outdated and should be amended to include two subgroups, mammalian and avian, the latter of which would include all isolates so far referred to as atypical <i>C. psittaci</i> or <i>C. psittaci</i>/<i>C. abortus</i> intermediates.
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