Nyctyornis
Nyctyornis is a genus of the bee-eaters, near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. There are just two members of this group, which occur in tropical south and southeastern Asia. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution |- |120px || Nyctyornis amictus||Red-bearded bee-eater || Southeast Asia |- |120px || Nyctyornis athertoni||Blue-bearded bee-eater || Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia |- |}
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Nyctyornis is a genus of the bee-eaters, near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. There are just two members of this group, which occur in tropical south and southeastern Asia. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution |- |120px || Nyctyornis amictus||Red-bearded bee-eater || Southeast Asia |- |120px || Nyctyornis athertoni||Blue-bearded bee-eater || Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia |- |}
The genus Nyctyornis was introduced by the naturalists William Jardine and Prideaux John Selby in 1830. The name comes from the Ancient Greek nukt meaning nocturnal or night and ornis meaning bird. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2007 showed that the genus is basal and forms a sister group to the remaining members of the bee-eater family.