Hornbills, kingfishers and allies
Hornbills, kingfishers, bee-eaters and related birds form an order called the Coraciiformes. Many of the species in it have brightly coloured plumage.
Family
Alcedinidae
Kingfisher (species)Cerylidae
Pied kingfisher (species)Meropidae
Bee-eaters (Merops) (genus)
About
The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their base), though in many kingfishers one of these is missing.
This is largely an Old World order, with the representation in the New World limited to the dozen or so species of todies and motmots, and a mere handful of the more than 90 species of kingfishers. This is the most diverse bird order in body weight, ranging from the 5.5 gram Puerto Rican Tody (Todus mexicanus) to the 4.5 kg Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), if the hornbills indeed belong under this classification.
The name Coraciiformes means "Raven-like", which is a misnomer (ravens are passerines). Specifically, it comes from the Latin language "Corax", meaning "Raven" and Latin "Forma", meaning "form", which is the standard ending for animal orders.
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Scientific Classification
Order: Coraciiformes
Other Aves
- Anseriformes (family: Ducks, geese and swans)
- Daytime birds of prey (Falconiformes)
- Gamebirds (Galliformes)
- Gruiformes (family: Cranes)
- Ostriches, rheas and allies (Struthioniformes)
- Owls (Strigiformes)
- Parrots (Psittaciformes)
- Pelicans, cormorants and allies (Pelecaniformes)
- Perching birds (Passeriformes)
- Piciformes (family: Woodpeckers, wrynecks and allies)
- Shorebirds and allies (Charadriiformes)
- Storks and long-legged wading birds (Ciconiiformes)
- Swifts and hummingbirds (Apodiformes)
- Tubenoses (Procellariiformes)
Elsewhere on the web
- Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Coraciiformes (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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