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{{Short description|Family of birds}}
{{Taxobox
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Puffbirds and allies
| name = Puffbirds and allies
| image = White whiskered puffbird.jpg
| image = Bucconidae Diversity.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| image_caption =
| taxon = Bucconidae
| image_caption = [[White-whiskered Puffbird]] (''Malacoptila panamensis'')
| authority = [[Thomas Horsfield|Horsfield]], 1821
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[Bird|Aves]]
| ordo = [[Piciformes]]
| familia = '''Bucconidae'''
| familia_authority = [[Thomas Horsfield|Horsfield]], 1821
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision =
| subdivision =
*''[[Bucco]]''
<i>[[Notharchus]] <br>
*''[[Notharchus]]''
[[Bucco]] <br>
[[Nystalus]] <br>
*''[[Nystalus]]''
[[Hypnelus]] <br>
*''[[Hypnelus]]''
[[Micromonacha]] <br>
*''[[Micromonacha]]''
[[Nonnula]] <br>
*''[[Nonnula]]''
[[Hapaloptila]] <br>
*''[[Hapaloptila]]''
[[Chelidoptera]] <br>
*''[[Chelidoptera]]''
[[Malacoptila]] <br>
*''[[Malacoptila]]''
[[Monasa]] </i>
*''[[Monasa]]''
}}
}}


The '''puffbirds''' and their relatives in the family '''Bucconidae''' are tropical tree-dwelling insectivorous birds that are found from [[South America]] up to [[Mexico]]. Together with their closest relatives, the [[jacamar]]s, they form a divergent lineage within the order [[Piciformes]], though the two families are sometimes elevated to a separate order Galbuliformes. Lacking the iridescent colours of the jacamars, puffbirds are mainly brown, rufous or grey, with large heads, large eyes, and flattened bills with a hooked tip.<ref name="National Geographic Complete Birds of the World">{{cite book|title=Complete Birds of the World|publisher=National Geographic|page=187}}</ref> Their loose, abundant plumage and short tails makes them look stout and puffy, giving rise to the English name of the family. The species range in size from the [[rufous-capped nunlet]], at {{Convert|13|cm|abbr=on}} and {{Convert|14|g|abbr=on}}, to the [[white-necked puffbird]], at up to {{Convert|29|cm|abbr=on}} and {{Convert|106|g|abbr=on}}.
The '''puffbirds''' and their relatives in the [[near passerine]] family '''Bucconidae''' are tropical birds breeding from [[South America]] up to [[Mexico]].


==Taxonomy==
They are related to the [[jacamar]]s, but lack the iridescent colours of that family. They are mainly brown, rufous or grey, with large heads and flattened bills with a hooked tip. The loose abundant plumage and short tails makes them look stout and puffy, giving rise to the [[English language|English]] name of the family. They feed on insects and small [[vertebrate]]s caught by a watch and wait technique.
Puffbirds get their common name from their fluffy plumage.<ref name=flower2008>{{cite book|author1=Fowler, Murray E. |author2=Cubas, Zalmir S. |title=Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of South American Wild Animals|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date=2008|page=181|isbn=9780470376768|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_Wn3wfd0SQC&pg=PA181}}</ref> In Spanish, they have been nicknamed ''bobo'' ("dummy") from their propensity to sit motionless waiting for prey.<ref name="Hilty">{{cite book|last=Hilty|first=Steven L.|title=Birds of Venezuela|publisher=Princeton University Press|date=2002|page=448|isbn=9781400834099|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40mFwoALUFUC&pg=PA448}}</ref> American naturalist [[Thomas Horsfield]] defined the Bucconidae in 1821. The family was classified as part of the Piciformes by [[Alexander Wetmore]] in his work ''A Systematic Classification for the Birds of the World'' (1930, revised in 1951 and 1960).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Wetmore|first=Alexander|date=1930|title=A Systematic Classification for the Birds of the World|journal=Proceedings of the United States National Museum|volume=76|issue=2821|page=6|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27945944|doi=10.5479/si.00963801.2821}}</ref> The placement of the combined puffbird and jacamar lineage was in question, with some bone and muscle features suggesting they may be more closely related to the [[Coraciiformes]]. Analysis of [[nuclear DNA]] in a 2003 study placed them as [[sister group]] to the rest of the Piciformes, also showing that the groups had developed [[Dactyly#Zygodactyly|zygodactyl feet]] (two toes facing forward and two aft) before separating.<ref name=Johansson>{{cite journal|author1=Johansson, Ulf S. |author2=Ericson, Per G.P. |name-list-style=amp |title= Molecular support for a sister group relationship between Pici and Galbulae (Piciformes ''sensu'' Wetmore 1960|doi=10.1034/j.1600-048X.2003.03103.x|url=http://www.nrm.se/download/18.4e32c81078a8d9249800021325/Johansson%2520&%2520Ericson%2520-%2520Piciformes%5B1%5D.pdf|year=2003|journal=Journal of Avian Biology|volume=34|issue=2|page=185 }}</ref> Per Ericson and colleagues, in analysing [[genomic DNA]], confirmed that puffbirds and jacamars were sister groups and their place in Piciformes.<ref name=ericson2006a>{{Cite journal | last1 = Ericson | first1 = P. G. P. | last2 = Anderson | first2 = C. L. | last3 = Britton | first3 = T.| last4 = Elzanowski | first4 = A. | last5 = Johansson | first5 = U. S. | last6 = Källersjö | first6 = M. | last7 = Ohlson | first7 = J. I. | last8 = Parsons | first8 = T. J. | last9 = Zuccon | first9 = D. | doi = 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0523 | last10 = Mayr | first10 = G. | title = Diversification of Neoaves: integration of molecular sequence data and fossils | journal = Biology Letters | volume = 2 | issue = 4 | pages = 543–547 | year = 2006 | pmid = 17148284| pmc =1834003 }}</ref> The lineage is sometimes elevated to order level as Galbuliformes,<ref name="Winkler">{{cite book| title=Woodpeckers: An Identification Guide to the Woodpeckers of the World |author= Hans Winkler, David A. Christie & David Nurney |publisher=A&C Black |year=2010 | isbn=9781408135044|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GCLgskRFt7IC&q=puffbird+taxonomy&pg=PT23}}</ref> first proposed by Sibley and Ahlquist in 1990.<ref name="Feduccia">{{cite book|last=Feduccia|first=Alan|title=The Origin and Evolution of Birds|publisher=Yale University Press|date=1999|page=341|isbn=9780300078619|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QRKV7eSqmIC&pg=PA341}}</ref>


The [[Phylogenetics|phylogenetic]] relationship between the puffbirds and the eight other families that make up the order Piciformes is shown in the cladogram below.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Kuhl | first1=H. | last2=Frankl-Vilches | first2=C. | last3=Bakker | first3=A. | last4=Mayr | first4=G. | last5=Nikolaus | first5=G. | last6=Boerno | first6=S.T. | last7=Klages | first7=S. | last8=Timmermann | first8=B. | last9=Gahr | first9=M. | date=2021 | title=An unbiased molecular approach using 3′-UTRs resolves the avian family-level tree of life | journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution | volume=38 | issue=1 | pages=108-127 | doi=10.1093/molbev/msaa191 | doi-access=free | hdl=21.11116/0000-0007-B72A-C | hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{ cite journal | last1=Stiller | first1=J. | display-authors=etal | year=2024 | title=Complexity of avian evolution revealed by family-level genomes | journal=Nature | volume=629 | issue= | pages=851-860 | doi=10.1038/s41586-024-07323-1 | doi-access=free | pmc=11111414 }}</ref> The number of species in each family is taken from the list maintained by [[Frank Gill (ornithologist)|Frank Gill]], [[Pamela C. Rasmussen]] and David Donsker on behalf of the [[International Ornithological Committee]] (IOC).<ref>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=December 2023 | title=IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=17 June 2024 }}</ref>
Like most of their relatives, this group are hole nesters, laying 2-3 glossy white eggs in a hole in the ground or a [[termite]] mound.
{{Clade| style=font-size:100%;line-height:100%
|label1=[[Piciformes]]
|1={{clade
|label1=[[Galbuli]]
|1={{clade
|1=[[Galbulidae]] – jacamars (18 species)
|2='''Bucconidae''' – puffbirds (38 species)
}}
|label2=[[Pici (taxon)|Pici]]
|2={{clade
|label1=[[Picides]]
|1={{clade
|1=[[Indicatoridae]] – honeyguides (16 species)
|2=[[Picidae]] – woodpeckers (240 species)
}}
|label2=[[Ramphastides]]
|2={{clade
|1=[[Megalaimidae]] – Asian barbets (35 species)
|2={{clade
|1=[[Lybiidae]] – African barbets (42 species)
|2={{clade
|1=[[Capitonidae]] – New World barbets (15 species)
|2={{clade
|1=[[Semnornithidae]] – toucan barbets (2 species)
|2=[[Ramphastidae]] – toucans (43 species)
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}


==Species==


Molecular investigation of the Bucconidae in 2004 indicated that the nunlets (genus ''[[Nonnula]]'') diverged from the common ancestor of other puffbirds an estimated 25 million years ago, with the genus ''[[Malacoptila]]'' the next to branch off around 19.1 million years ago.<ref>Witt, C.C. (2004), ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060205061250/http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-11122004-054504/unrestricted/Witt_dis.pdf Rates of Molecular Evolution and their Application to Neotropical Avian Biogeography]'', Ph.D. dissertation, Louisiana State University</ref> A fossil right wing recovered from Lower Eocene beds in Lincoln County Wyoming was initially classified as a puffbird and given the name ''[[Primobucco|Primobucco mcgrewi]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Brodkorb|first=Pierce|date=1970|title=An Eocene Puffbird from Wyoming|journal=Rocky Mountain Geology|volume=9|issue=1|pages=13–15|url=http://rmg.geoscienceworld.org/content/9/1/13.extract|access-date=2014-12-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807191843/http://rmg.geoscienceworld.org/content/9/1/13.extract|archive-date=2016-08-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> The discovery of more complete specimens, including twelve in 2010, shows that ''Primobucco'' was instead an early type of [[Coraciidae|roller]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Ksepka, Daniel T. |author2=Clarke, Julia A. |title= ''Primobucco mcgrewi'' (Aves: Coracii) from the Eocene Green River Formation: New Anatomical Data from the Earliest Constrained Record of Stem Rollers |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology| volume=30|issue= 1 |year=2010 |pages=215–25|doi=10.1080/02724630903412414|doi-access=free|bibcode=2010JVPal..30..215K }}</ref>
'''FAMILY: BUCCONIDAE'''

* '''Genus: ''[[Notharchus]]'''''
==Distribution and habitat==
** [[Guianan Puffbird]], ''Notharchus macrorhynchos''
Puffbirds are found from Mexico to southern Brazil,<ref name=flower2008/> with the greatest variety of species found in the [[Amazon Basin]].<ref name="Hilty"/> They live in forested or wooded habitats, including lowland, foothills, and open woodland. The [[white-faced nunbird]] is the only member of this species known to live in highlands.<ref name="Complete Birds of the World">{{cite book|title=Complete Birds of the World|publisher=National Geographic|page=188}}</ref> The [[swallow-winged puffbird]] also lives in more open country.<ref name="Feduccia"/> No species of puffbirds have been recorded of moving any significant distance beyond its home territory.<ref name="Complete Birds of the World"/>
** [[White-necked Puffbird]], ''Notharchus hyperrynchus''

** [[Black-breasted Puffbird]], ''Notharchus pectoralis''
==Description==
** [[Brown-banded Puffbird]], ''Notharchus ordii''
Generally dull-plumaged birds, puffbirds may have brightly colored bills, eyebrows and irises. They have large heads, short wings and strong bills, with short legs and diminutive feet. There is some sexual dimorphism; the female is slightly larger and slightly duller-plumaged than the male. Juvenile birds have shorter beaks.<ref name=flower2008/><!-- cites previous 4 sentences -->
** [[Pied Puffbird]], ''Notharchus tectus''

** [[Buff-bellied Puffbird]], ''Notharchus sawinsoni''
=== Voice ===
* '''Genus: ''[[Bucco]]'''''
Puffbirds are one of the most silent birds in the Neotropics and vocalize very rarely. The most vocal species are the nunbirds and those in the genus '' Nystalus''. When calling they mostly do so at dawn and dusk. The main vocalizations consist of repeated and high-pitched whistles. The nunbirds are the most vocal of the family; they have a wide repertoire of calls and often give very loud shouts.<ref name="Campbell"/>
** [[Chestnut-capped Puffbird]], ''Bucco macrodactylus''

** [[Spotted Puffbird]], ''Bucco tamatia''
== Behavior ==
** [[Sooty-capped Puffbird]], ''Bucco noanamae''
Puffbirds are by nature arboreal. Mostly secretive, they are found singly or in small family groups. Species of the genus ''Monasa'', known as nunbirds, are more gregarious and found in flocks.<ref name="Campbell">{{cite book|author1=Bruce Campbell |author2=Elizabeth Lack |title=A Dictionary of Birds|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|date=2010|page=488|isbn=9781408138380|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k_7UBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA488}}</ref>
** [[Collared Puffbird]], ''Bucco capensis''

* '''Genus: ''[[Nystalus]]'''''
===Feeding===
** [[Barred Puffbird]], ''Nystalus radiatus''
Puffbirds are sit-and-wait hunters,<ref name=perrins>{{cite book|last=Christopher M. Perrins |title=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds|publisher=Princeton University Press|date=2009|page=404|isbn=9780691140704}}</ref> perching unmoving for long periods, while watching for insect prey. As well as [[arthropod]]s, they may eat small lizards and plant material. Arthropod exoskeletons are regurgitated as pellets.<ref name=flower2008/><!-- cites previous three sentences, but not "sit-and-wait" term--> The [[swallow-winged puffbird]] is the only member in the family that is known to capture insects from open perches.
** [[White-eared Puffbird]], ''Nystalus chacuru''

** [[Striolated Puffbird]], ''Nystalus striolatus''
=== Breeding ===
** [[Spot-backed Puffbird]], ''Nystalus maculatus''
The breeding behaviour of puffbirds is not well known.<ref name="Campbell"/> Nests are burrows in dirt, rotten wood or termite mounds. Puffbirds are known to lay clutches of two or three eggs. The eggs are round, small, and white. The incubation period is around 15 days,<ref name=flower2008/><!-- cites prevouis 3 sentences --> and performed by both parents.<ref name="Campbell"/> Born blind and naked, the young can crawl to the entrance of the nest burrow at one or two days of age. There, their mother feeds them partly chewed insects. They fledge at around 20 to 21 days.<ref name="Campbell"/><!-- cites prevouis 3 sentences -->
* '''Genus: ''Hypnelus'''''

** [[Russet-throated Puffbird]], ''Hypnelus ruficollis''
==Species==
* '''Genus: ''[[Malacoptila]]'''''
{| class="wikitable"
** [[White-chested Puffbird]], ''Malacoptila fusca''
|-
** [[Semicollared Puffbird]], ''Malacoptila semicincta''
! Image !! Genus !! Living Species
** [[Crescent-chested Puffbird]], ''Malacoptila striata''
|-
** [[Black-streaked Puffbird]], ''Malacoptila fulvogularis''
|[[File:Notharchus pectoralis.jpg|175px]]|| ''[[Notharchus]]''||
** [[Rufous-necked Puffbird]], ''Malacoptila rufa''
** [[White-whiskered Puffbird]], ''Malacoptila panamensis''
* [[Guianan puffbird]], ''Notharchus macrorhynchos''
** [[Moustached Puffbird]], ''Malacoptila mystacalis''
* [[White-necked puffbird]], ''Notharchus hyperrynchus''
* [[Black-breasted puffbird]], ''Notharchus pectoralis''
* '''Genus: ''Micromonacha'''''
** [[Lanceolated Monklet]], ''Micromonacha lanceolata''
* [[Brown-banded puffbird]], ''Notharchus ordii''
* [[Pied puffbird]], ''Notharchus tectus''
* '''Genus: ''Nonnula''''' - the [[nunlet]]s
** [[Fulvous-chinned Nunlet]], ''Nonnula sclateri''
* [[Buff-bellied puffbird]], ''Notharchus swainsoni''
|-
** [[Rusty-breasted Nunlet]], ''Nonnula rubecula''
|[[File:Chestnut-capped Puffbird.jpg|175px]]|| ''[[Bucco]]'' ||
** [[Brown Nunlet]], ''Nonnula brunnea''
** [[Gray-cheeked Nunlet]], ''Nonnula frontalis''
* [[Chestnut-capped puffbird]], ''Bucco macrodactylus''
** [[Rufous-capped Nunlet]], ''Nonnula ruficapilla''
* [[Spotted puffbird]], ''Bucco tamatia''
** [[Chestnut-headed Nunlet]], ''Nonnula amaurocephala''
* [[Sooty-capped puffbird]], ''Bucco noanamae''
* [[Collared puffbird]], ''Bucco capensis''
* '''Genus ''Hapaloptila'''''
|-
** [[White-faced Nunbird]], ''Hapaloptila castanea''
|[[File:Nystalus chacuru -Extrema, Minas Gerais, Brazil-8.jpg|175px]]|| ''[[Nystalus]]'' ||
* '''Genus: ''[[Monasa]]''''' - the [[nunbird]]s
** [[Black Nunbird]], ''Monasa atra''
* [[Barred puffbird]], ''Nystalus radiatus''
** [[Black-fronted Nunbird]], ''Monasa nigrifrons''
* [[White-eared puffbird]], ''Nystalus chacuru''
** [[White-fronted Nunbird]], ''Monasa morphoeus''
* [[Eastern striolated puffbird]], ''Nystalus striolatus''
** [[Yellow-billed Nunbird]], ''Monasa flavirostris''
* [[Western striolated puffbird]], ''Nystalus obamai''
* [[Caatinga puffbird]], ''Nystalus maculatus''
* '''Genus: ''Chelidoptera'''''
** [[Swallow-wing]], ''Chelidoptera tenebrosa''
* [[Chaco puffbird]], ''Nystalus striatipectus''
|-
|[[File:Hypnelus ruficollis - Russet-throated Puffbird.jpg|175px]]|| ''[[Hypnelus]]'' ||
* [[Russet-throated puffbird]], ''Hypnelus ruficollis''
* [[Two-banded puffbird]], ''Hypnelus bicinctus''
|-
|[[File:BARBUDO-RAJADO ( Malacoptila striata ).jpg|175px]]|| ''[[Malacoptila]]'' ||
* [[White-chested puffbird]], ''Malacoptila fusca''
* [[Semicollared puffbird]], ''Malacoptila semicincta''
* [[Crescent-chested puffbird]], ''Malacoptila striata''
* [[Black-streaked puffbird]], ''Malacoptila fulvogularis''
* [[Rufous-necked puffbird]], ''Malacoptila rufa''
* [[White-whiskered puffbird]], ''Malacoptila panamensis''
* [[Moustached puffbird]], ''Malacoptila mystacalis''
|-
|[[File:Lanceolated Monklet (Micromonacha lanceolata).jpg|175px]]|| ''Micromonacha'' ||
* [[Lanceolated monklet]], ''Micromonacha lanceolata''
|-
|[[File:Macuru.jpg|175px]]|| ''[[Nonnula]]''– the nunlets ||
* [[Fulvous-chinned nunlet]], ''Nonnula sclateri''
* [[Rusty-breasted nunlet]], ''Nonnula rubecula''
* [[Brown nunlet]], ''Nonnula brunnea''
* [[Grey-cheeked nunlet]], ''Nonnula frontalis''
* [[Rufous-capped nunlet]], ''Nonnula ruficapilla''
* [[Chestnut-headed nunlet]], ''Nonnula amaurocephala''
|-
|[[File:Hapaloptila castanea 111866228.jpg|175px]]|| ''Hapaloptila'' ||
* [[White-faced nunbird]], ''Hapaloptila castanea''
|-
|[[File:Monasa atra - Black nunbird.JPG|175px]]|| ''[[Monasa]]''– the nunbirds ||
* [[Black nunbird]], ''Monasa atra''
* [[Black-fronted nunbird]], ''Monasa nigrifrons''
* [[White-fronted nunbird]], ''Monasa morphoeus''
* [[Yellow-billed nunbird]], ''Monasa flavirostris''
|-
|[[File:Chelidoptera tenebrosa Swallow-wing.jpg|175px]]|| ''Chelidoptera'' ||
* [[Swallow-winged puffbird]], ''Chelidoptera tenebrosa''
|-
|}


==References==
==References==
{{nofootnotes}}
{{Reflist}}

* Hilty, '' Birds of Venezuela'', ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
* Stiles and Skutch, ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica'' ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
* Stiles and Skutch, ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica'' {{ISBN|0-8014-9600-4}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|position=left}}
*[http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=99 Puffbird videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Puff-bird}}
*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/puffbirds-bucconidae Internet Bird Collection.com: Puffbird−Bucconidae videos]


{{Piciformes}}
[[Category:Bucconidae| ]]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q621861}}
[[Category:Bird families]]


[[Category:Bucconidae| ]]
[[da:Dovenfugle]]
[[Category:Birds of Central America]]
[[de:Faulvögel]]
[[Category:Birds of South America]]
[[eo:Bukonedoj]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Thomas Horsfield]]
[[es:Bucconidae]]
[[fr:Bucconidae]]
[[lt:Tingiageniniai]]
[[hu:Bukkófélék]]
[[nl:Baardkoekoeken]]
[[ja:オオガシラ科 (Sibley)]]
[[no:Dovenfugler]]
[[nn:Dovenfuglar]]
[[pl:Drzymy]]
[[pt:Bucconidae]]
[[ru:Пуховки]]
[[sv:Trögfåglar]]

Latest revision as of 10:01, 22 October 2024

Puffbirds and allies
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Suborder: Galbuli
Family: Bucconidae
Horsfield, 1821
Genera

The puffbirds and their relatives in the family Bucconidae are tropical tree-dwelling insectivorous birds that are found from South America up to Mexico. Together with their closest relatives, the jacamars, they form a divergent lineage within the order Piciformes, though the two families are sometimes elevated to a separate order Galbuliformes. Lacking the iridescent colours of the jacamars, puffbirds are mainly brown, rufous or grey, with large heads, large eyes, and flattened bills with a hooked tip.[1] Their loose, abundant plumage and short tails makes them look stout and puffy, giving rise to the English name of the family. The species range in size from the rufous-capped nunlet, at 13 cm (5.1 in) and 14 g (0.49 oz), to the white-necked puffbird, at up to 29 cm (11 in) and 106 g (3.7 oz).

Taxonomy

[edit]

Puffbirds get their common name from their fluffy plumage.[2] In Spanish, they have been nicknamed bobo ("dummy") from their propensity to sit motionless waiting for prey.[3] American naturalist Thomas Horsfield defined the Bucconidae in 1821. The family was classified as part of the Piciformes by Alexander Wetmore in his work A Systematic Classification for the Birds of the World (1930, revised in 1951 and 1960).[4] The placement of the combined puffbird and jacamar lineage was in question, with some bone and muscle features suggesting they may be more closely related to the Coraciiformes. Analysis of nuclear DNA in a 2003 study placed them as sister group to the rest of the Piciformes, also showing that the groups had developed zygodactyl feet (two toes facing forward and two aft) before separating.[5] Per Ericson and colleagues, in analysing genomic DNA, confirmed that puffbirds and jacamars were sister groups and their place in Piciformes.[6] The lineage is sometimes elevated to order level as Galbuliformes,[7] first proposed by Sibley and Ahlquist in 1990.[8]

The phylogenetic relationship between the puffbirds and the eight other families that make up the order Piciformes is shown in the cladogram below.[9][10] The number of species in each family is taken from the list maintained by Frank Gill, Pamela C. Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC).[11]

Piciformes
Galbuli

Galbulidae – jacamars (18 species)

Bucconidae – puffbirds (38 species)

Pici
Picides

Indicatoridae – honeyguides (16 species)

Picidae – woodpeckers (240 species)

Ramphastides

Megalaimidae – Asian barbets (35 species)

Lybiidae – African barbets (42 species)

Capitonidae – New World barbets (15 species)

Semnornithidae – toucan barbets (2 species)

Ramphastidae – toucans (43 species)


Molecular investigation of the Bucconidae in 2004 indicated that the nunlets (genus Nonnula) diverged from the common ancestor of other puffbirds an estimated 25 million years ago, with the genus Malacoptila the next to branch off around 19.1 million years ago.[12] A fossil right wing recovered from Lower Eocene beds in Lincoln County Wyoming was initially classified as a puffbird and given the name Primobucco mcgrewi.[13] The discovery of more complete specimens, including twelve in 2010, shows that Primobucco was instead an early type of roller.[14]

Distribution and habitat

[edit]

Puffbirds are found from Mexico to southern Brazil,[2] with the greatest variety of species found in the Amazon Basin.[3] They live in forested or wooded habitats, including lowland, foothills, and open woodland. The white-faced nunbird is the only member of this species known to live in highlands.[15] The swallow-winged puffbird also lives in more open country.[8] No species of puffbirds have been recorded of moving any significant distance beyond its home territory.[15]

Description

[edit]

Generally dull-plumaged birds, puffbirds may have brightly colored bills, eyebrows and irises. They have large heads, short wings and strong bills, with short legs and diminutive feet. There is some sexual dimorphism; the female is slightly larger and slightly duller-plumaged than the male. Juvenile birds have shorter beaks.[2]

Voice

[edit]

Puffbirds are one of the most silent birds in the Neotropics and vocalize very rarely. The most vocal species are the nunbirds and those in the genus Nystalus. When calling they mostly do so at dawn and dusk. The main vocalizations consist of repeated and high-pitched whistles. The nunbirds are the most vocal of the family; they have a wide repertoire of calls and often give very loud shouts.[16]

Behavior

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Puffbirds are by nature arboreal. Mostly secretive, they are found singly or in small family groups. Species of the genus Monasa, known as nunbirds, are more gregarious and found in flocks.[16]

Feeding

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Puffbirds are sit-and-wait hunters,[17] perching unmoving for long periods, while watching for insect prey. As well as arthropods, they may eat small lizards and plant material. Arthropod exoskeletons are regurgitated as pellets.[2] The swallow-winged puffbird is the only member in the family that is known to capture insects from open perches.

Breeding

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The breeding behaviour of puffbirds is not well known.[16] Nests are burrows in dirt, rotten wood or termite mounds. Puffbirds are known to lay clutches of two or three eggs. The eggs are round, small, and white. The incubation period is around 15 days,[2] and performed by both parents.[16] Born blind and naked, the young can crawl to the entrance of the nest burrow at one or two days of age. There, their mother feeds them partly chewed insects. They fledge at around 20 to 21 days.[16]

Species

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Image Genus Living Species
Notharchus
Bucco
Nystalus
Hypnelus
Malacoptila
Micromonacha
Nonnula– the nunlets
Hapaloptila
Monasa– the nunbirds
Chelidoptera

References

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  1. ^ Complete Birds of the World. National Geographic. p. 187.
  2. ^ a b c d e Fowler, Murray E.; Cubas, Zalmir S. (2008). Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of South American Wild Animals. John Wiley & Sons. p. 181. ISBN 9780470376768.
  3. ^ a b Hilty, Steven L. (2002). Birds of Venezuela. Princeton University Press. p. 448. ISBN 9781400834099.
  4. ^ Wetmore, Alexander (1930). "A Systematic Classification for the Birds of the World". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 76 (2821): 6. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.2821.
  5. ^ Johansson, Ulf S. & Ericson, Per G.P. (2003). "Molecular support for a sister group relationship between Pici and Galbulae (Piciformes sensu Wetmore 1960" (PDF). Journal of Avian Biology. 34 (2): 185. doi:10.1034/j.1600-048X.2003.03103.x.
  6. ^ Ericson, P. G. P.; Anderson, C. L.; Britton, T.; Elzanowski, A.; Johansson, U. S.; Källersjö, M.; Ohlson, J. I.; Parsons, T. J.; Zuccon, D.; Mayr, G. (2006). "Diversification of Neoaves: integration of molecular sequence data and fossils". Biology Letters. 2 (4): 543–547. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0523. PMC 1834003. PMID 17148284.
  7. ^ Hans Winkler, David A. Christie & David Nurney (2010). Woodpeckers: An Identification Guide to the Woodpeckers of the World. A&C Black. ISBN 9781408135044.
  8. ^ a b Feduccia, Alan (1999). The Origin and Evolution of Birds. Yale University Press. p. 341. ISBN 9780300078619.
  9. ^ Kuhl, H.; Frankl-Vilches, C.; Bakker, A.; Mayr, G.; Nikolaus, G.; Boerno, S.T.; Klages, S.; Timmermann, B.; Gahr, M. (2021). "An unbiased molecular approach using 3′-UTRs resolves the avian family-level tree of life". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38 (1): 108–127. doi:10.1093/molbev/msaa191. hdl:21.11116/0000-0007-B72A-C.
  10. ^ Stiller, J.; et al. (2024). "Complexity of avian evolution revealed by family-level genomes". Nature. 629: 851–860. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07323-1. PMC 11111414.
  11. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "IOC World Bird List Version 14.1". International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  12. ^ Witt, C.C. (2004), Rates of Molecular Evolution and their Application to Neotropical Avian Biogeography, Ph.D. dissertation, Louisiana State University
  13. ^ Brodkorb, Pierce (1970). "An Eocene Puffbird from Wyoming". Rocky Mountain Geology. 9 (1): 13–15. Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  14. ^ Ksepka, Daniel T.; Clarke, Julia A. (2010). "Primobucco mcgrewi (Aves: Coracii) from the Eocene Green River Formation: New Anatomical Data from the Earliest Constrained Record of Stem Rollers". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (1): 215–25. Bibcode:2010JVPal..30..215K. doi:10.1080/02724630903412414.
  15. ^ a b Complete Birds of the World. National Geographic. p. 188.
  16. ^ a b c d e Bruce Campbell; Elizabeth Lack (2010). A Dictionary of Birds. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 488. ISBN 9781408138380.
  17. ^ Christopher M. Perrins (2009). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Birds. Princeton University Press. p. 404. ISBN 9780691140704.
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