How do I combine COUNTIF with OR

Question

In Google Spreadsheets, I need to use the COUNTIF function on a range with multiple criteria. So in the table below, I would need to have something like =COUNTIF(B:B,"Mammal"or"Bird") and return a value of 4.

A         |B
-------------------
Animal    | Type
-------------------
Dog       | Mammal
Cat       | Mammal
Lizard    | Reptile
Snake     | Reptile
Alligator | Reptile
Dove      | Bird
Chicken   | Bird

I've tried a lot of different approaches with no luck.

Answer 1

One option:

=COUNTIF(B:B; "Mammal") + COUNTIF(B:B; "Bird")

According to the documentation:

Notes

COUNTIF can only perform conditional counts with a single criterion. To use multiple criteria, use COUNTIFS or the database functions DCOUNT or DCOUNTA.

COUNTIFS: This function is only available in the new Google Sheets.

Example:

=DCOUNTA(B:B; 2; {"Type"; "Mammal"; "Bird"})