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Home , Coraciidae, Coraciiformes, Hornbill, Mousebird, Piciformes, Tockus

3.8 Kingshers to - Atlas of uncorrected proofs

Copyrighted Material to Mousebirds

he orders featured on this spread include many of the planet’s most P Size of orders Trogoniformes: R Teye-catching families. Some, such as kingfishers and rollers, Number of in Trogons make up a single , the Trogonidae, are known for their dazzling . Others, such as and Percentage of total bird species which numbers seven genera, including the spectacular quetzals (Pharomachrus spp.) of , sport preposterously big bills. Though smaller species South and Central America. Their weak feet are in some groups may superficially resemble songbirds, all have a 403 species unique among in having a heterodactyl number of key anatomical differences from the Passeriformes, and 4.1% toe arrangement: first and second toes facing none can sing. backwards; third and fourth toes forwards. They are colourful but retiring birds that These orders also share many features of their breeding behaviour, inhabit tropical forests worldwide – with the with the majority of families and species nesting in holes, and many greatest diversity in the Neotropics – and use performing flamboyant courtship displays. The exception to this rule their short, broad bill to feed on insects and are the Coliiformes of Sub-Saharan , which are neither colourful 403 species fruit, generally gleaned from the branches in 4.1% a brief fluttering flight. Trogons are typically nor cavity nesters – they build a simple cup-shaped nest in foliage – and have located by their soft, insistent call, given

) an evolutionary history that sets them apart from other near-. s from just below the canopy. All species n a

g e have soft, richly coloured plumage – often l e

n o featuring greens and reds – and are strongly g o r T sexually dimorphic, with females much duller ( n o Trogoniformes g o than males. r T 37 species Coliiformes t n a g 0.37% 6 species e El distribution of order Trogoniformes 0.06%

Q Coraciiformes: kingfishers, rollers, Coliiformes: mousebirds R distribution of order Coraciiformes allies Mousebirds comprise a single family (Coliidae) distribution of family Meropidae Most families in this order are confined to the Old of just six species, which has no clear links with (bee-eaters) World, especially tropical and subtropical regions. other modern birds and is all that remains today of a much more diverse prehistoric line. Entirely ) Kingfishers (Alcedinidae) are striking birds with es id confined to Sub-Saharan Africa, they are the ko large heads and powerful bills. They hunt from oc ull only bird order endemic to that continent. These Wh ps b a perch: some for fish, others for terrestrial prey. ite-f ero ronted Bee-eater (M Bee-eaters (Meropidae) catch insects in agile flight. smallish, slender birds have long tails and soft, Most are highly colourful, with slender bodies greyish-brown plumage. They feed on buds, fruit and often elongated central tail , and nest and berries, clambering acrobatically among the in large sandbank colonies. Rollers () foliage and often scurrying around at low-level get their name from the aerial courtship acrobatics like , hence their common name. Other in which they flaunt their bright blue plumage. characteristic features include a small Hornbills (Bucerotidae), found in tropical and and short, stubby bill. Small flocks frequent subtropical Africa and , are generally larger lightly wooded country, moving from birds with hefty bills that, in some species, carry a one feeding area to another in direct prominent . They prey on everything from flight, and often sunbathing on top of fruit to small animals. New World coraciiformes bushes to dry out after rain. are – except for a few kingfishers – confined to the tiny (Todidae), of the Caribbean, and colourful (Momotidae), of Central and South America. Speckled distribution of the order Coliiformes ( striatus) Q Piciformes: , toucans, distribution of order Piciformes P Digging deep allies distribution of family Lybiidae Nearly all birds in this order have zygodactyl The Coraciiformes, Piciformes and Trogoniformes all nest predominantly in (African barbets) feet – two toes forward and two back – which offer more stability when climbing tree holes. Many species, including most woodpeckers and trogons, use tree holes. trunks. Most are insectivores and, apart Others, including most bee-eaters and many kingfishers, use a hole in a from (Galbulidae), do not sand or earth bank. Most are “primary cavity-nesters”, which means that grow down feathers. The best-known they use their bill to chisel out their own hole, rather than taking over an and largest family is the woodpeckers

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e existing one. Few make a nest, though some may line the hole with a d (Picidae), which also includes the - a n little plant material. are generally white, for better visibility in the d and . Its members are - y e l found worldwide, except Madagascar, lo darkness. w B a Australasia, and the polar regions, with rb Perhaps the most peculiar nesting arrangement is that of the et (T most frequenting forest or woodland – rac Bucerotinae hornbills. The female seals herself into the hyp though a few have adapted to treeless habitats. honu s erythrocephalus) Other families include the fruit-eating barbets chamber by blocking up the entrance hole, using a mixture (three families) and toucans (Ramphastidae), the of mud, droppings and fruit pulp, leaving only a tiny slit latter confined to the Neotropics and equipped through which the male can feed her. She remains there for the entire incubation, with a huge but lightweight bill. The until the chicks have grown too large for her to remain inside the chamber with them, (Indicatoridae), of Africa and Asia, are brood Southern Yellow-billed parasites and uniquely able to digest beeswax. and undergoes a complete moult in the process. ( leucomelas) flying with food to tree hole. Copyright © Myriad Editions

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