Cuculiformes

Cuculiformes
Cuculiformes
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus curvirostris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Subclass: Neornithes
Infraclass: Neognathae
Superorder: Neoaves
Order: Cuculiformes
Wagler, 1830
Families

Cuculidae
Musophagidae
and see text

Range of the Cuculiformes.

The near passerine bird order Cuculiformes traditionally included three families as below:

  • Musophagidae - turacos and allies
  • Cuculidae - cuckoos, coucals and anis
  • Opisthocomidae - Hoatzin (or Opisthocomiformes)

However, the taxonomy of this group is now controversial. The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy raises the Musophagidae to an order Musophagiformes which may or may not be warranted. The Hoatzin continues to be enigmatic; it is probably best regarded as a distinct, monotypic order, especially if the turacos are also considered one. The coucals and anis are sometimes considered subfamilies of the Cuculidae, or otherwise assigned to families of their own, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae respectively.

Evolution

The fossil record of this group is much debated. The unique anatomy of Cuculidae (in the old sense) often allows for the easy identification even of isolated bones. Cuckoos of prehistoric genera are known since the Late Eocene, some 40-35 million years ago. Turaco fossils are known from much later only.

A number of other Paleogene fossils have at times been assigned to the Cuculiformes, but they are not usually included here anymore in more recent treatments: The Late Paleocene to mid-Eocene Gracilitarsidae were at first believed to be cuculiforms but this is not generally accepted today. They remain mysterious though, due to their apomorphic anatomy, and might be close to the equally enigmatic Sylphornithidae known from the mid-Eocene to the Early Oligocene. From the Early Eocene, Parvicuculus and Procuculus might be Cypselomorphae of a hitherto unrecognized lineage. Foro might be allied with the Hoatzin; it had been touted as a "missing link" between this bird and the Cuculiformes proper but as noted above, it is just impossible to closely ally the Hoatzin with any extant birds.



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cuculiformes — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Cuculiformes Guira guira …   Wikipedia Español

  • cuculiformes — n. m. pl. Ordre d oiseaux comprenant notam. les coucous et les touracos. Sing. Un cuculiforme …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Cuculiformes — Coucou gris …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cuculiformes — gegutiniai paukščiai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Cuculiformes angl. cuculiformes vok. Kuckucksvögel rus. кукушкообразные pranc. cuculiformes ryšiai: platesnis terminas – šiuolaikiniai paukščiai siauresnis terminas –… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • cuculiformes — gegutiniai paukščiai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Cuculiformes angl. cuculiformes vok. Kuckucksvögel rus. кукушкообразные pranc. cuculiformes ryšiai: platesnis terminas – šiuolaikiniai paukščiai siauresnis terminas –… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Cuculiformes — Kuckucke Guirakuckuck (Guira guira) Systematik Unterstamm: Wirbeltiere (Vertebrata) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cuculiformes — noun cuckoos; touracos; etc. • Syn: ↑order Cuculiformes • Hypernyms: ↑animal order • Member Holonyms: ↑Aves, ↑class Aves • Member Meronyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Cuculiformes — …   Википедия

  • cuculiformes — ► femenino plural ZOOLOGÍA Orden de aves de forma esbelta, cola larga, pico curvado, alas puntiagudas y patas cortas …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • cuculiformes — cu·cu·li·for·mes …   English syllables

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