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Puffbird

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Puffbirds and allies
White-whiskered Puffbird (Malacoptila panamensis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Piciformes
Family:
Bucconidae

Horsfield, 1821
Genera

Notharchus
Bucco
Nystalus
Hypnelus
Micromonacha
Nonnula
Hapaloptila
Chelidoptera
Malacoptila
Monasa

The puffbirds and their relatives in the near passerine family Bucconidae are tropical birds breeding from South America up to Mexico.

They are related to the jacamars, 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 name of the family. They feed on insects and small vertebrates caught by a watch and wait technique.

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.

Species

FAMILY: BUCCONIDAE

References

  • 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
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