Cuculidae
Sign in to saveCuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae, respectively. The cuckoo order Cuculiformes is one of three that make up the Otidimorphae, the other two being the turacos and the bustards. The family Cuculidae contains 150 species, which are divided into 33 genera.
AI overview
Cuculidae is a family of birds that includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and several other related species, containing 150 species across 33 genera. The family matters because it represents a major group within bird diversity and is recognized as the sole family in the entire order Cuculiformes.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Taxonomy · GBIF
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderCuculiformes
- FamilyCuculidae
via GBIF · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Cuculiformes
- Image
- Greater Roadrunner-JRO.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- P105
- family
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Description
- Distribution and habitat
- Migration
- Behaviour and ecology
- Diet and feeding
- Breeding
- Brood parasitism
- Parasitic cuckoo advanced laying and hatching
- Evolutionary arms race between cuckoo and host
- Host egg mimicry
- Possible evidence of host benefits in the face of cuckoo parasitism
- Calls
- Phylogeny and evolution
- Taxonomy and systematics
- In culture
- References
- Sources
- External links
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae, respectively. The cuckoo order Cuculiformes is one of three that make up the Otidimorphae, the other two being the turacos and the bustards. The family Cuculidae contains 150 species, which are divided into 33 genera.
The cuckoos are generally medium-sized, slender birds. Most species live in trees, though a sizeable minority are ground-dwelling. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution; the majority of species are tropical. Some species are migratory. The cuckoos feed on insects, insect larvae, and a variety of other animals, as well as fruit. Some species (for example, the majority of cuckoo species living in Eurasia) are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species and giving rise to the terms "cuckoo's egg" and "cuckold" as metaphors. However, most species raise their own young.