Coraciiformes
Order of birds / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Coraciiformes /kɒrəˈsaɪ.ɪfɔːrmiːz/ are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. 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.[citation needed] The members of this order are linked by their “slamming” behaviour, thrashing their prey onto surfaces to disarm or incapacitate them.[1]
Coraciiformes | |
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European roller Coracias garrulus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Picodynastornithes |
Order: | Coraciiformes Forbes, 1884 |
Families | |
For prehistoric taxa, see text. | |
Global distribution of the kingfisher and allies. |
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 a hundred species of kingfishers.
The name Coraciiformes means "raven-like". Specifically, it comes from the Latin language "corax", meaning "raven" and Latin "forma", meaning "form".[2]