Bucerotiformes is an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

of birds that contains the

hornbill Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...

ground hornbill The ground hornbills (Bucorvidae) are a family of the order Bucerotiformes, with a single genus ''Bucorvus'' and two extant species. The family is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa: the Abyssinian ground hornbill occurs in a belt from Senegal east ...

hoopoe Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "Crest (feathers), crown" of feathers which can be raised or lowered at will. Two living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many y ...

s and wood hoopoes. These birds were previously classified as members of

Coraciiformes The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful birds including the kingfishers, the bee-eaters, the rollers, the motmots, and the todies. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward-pointing toes (and toes 3 & 4 fused at their b ...

. The

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

is distributed in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

Systematics

Recent genetic data show that ground hornbills and ''

Bycanistes ''Bycanistes'' is a genus of medium to large, primarily frugivorous hornbills (family Bucerotidae) found in the forests and woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa. They have often been included in the genus ''Ceratogymna'', but today most authorities c ...

'' form a clade outside the rest of the hornbill lineage. They are thought to represent an early African lineage, while the rest of Bucerotiformes evolved in Asia. The hoopoe subspecies Saint Helena hoopoe and the Madagascar subspecies are sometimes elevated to a full species. The two wood hoopoe genera, '' Phoeniculus'' and '' Rhinopomastus'', appear to have diverged about 10 million years ago, so some systematists treat them as separate

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zool ...

or even separate

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

. Extinct Messelirrisoridae and Laurillardiidae families were both considered to be stem groups of a previously categorized Upupiformes order prior to it being subcategorized into Bucerotiformes.Mayr, Gerald (2009). "Paleogene Fossil Birds". In Springer Science & Business Media, 21 April 2009, p. 194.

Taxonomy

Order Bucerotiformes *Family '' Messelirrisoridae'' **Genus ''

Messelirrisor The extinct ''Messelirrisor'' is a genus of Bucerotiformes, the sole representative of the family Messelirrisoridae. They were tiny hoopoe-like birds that were the earliest representatives of the hoopoe/ wood-hoopoe lineage, and they were among ...

'' *** ''Messelirrisor halcyrostris'' *** ''Messelirrisor grandis'' *** ''Messelirrisor parvus'' *Family '' Laurillardiidae'' **Genus '' Laurillardia'' *** ''Laurillardia longirostris'' *** ''Laurillardia munieri'' *** ''Laurillardia smoleni'' *Suborder Upupi **Family Phoeniculidae ***Genus '' Phoeniculus'' ****

Green wood hoopoe The green wood hoopoe (''Phoeniculus purpureus'') is a large, up to long tropical bird native to Africa. It is a member of the family Phoeniculidae, the wood hoopoes, and was formerly known as the red-billed wood hoopoe. Taxonomy In 1784 the En ...

, ''Phoeniculus purpureus'' **** Violet wood hoopoe, ''Phoeniculus damarensis'' **** Black-billed wood hoopoe, ''Phoeniculus somaliensis'' **** White-headed wood hoopoe, ''Phoeniculus bollei'' **** Forest wood hoopoe, ''Phoeniculus castaneiceps'' ***Genus '' Rhinopomastus'' **** Black scimitarbill, ''Rhinopomastus aterrimus'' **** Common scimitarbill, ''Rhinopomastus cyanomelas'' **** Abyssinian scimitarbill, ''Rhinopomastus minor'' **Family Upupidae ***Genus '' Upupa'' ****

Eurasian hoopoe The Eurasian hoopoe (''Upupa epops'') is the most widespread species of the genus '' Upupa''. It is a distinctive cinnamon coloured bird with black and white wings, a tall erectile crest, a broad white band across a black tail, and a long narrow ...

, ''Upupa epops'' **** Madagascar hoopoe, ''Upupa marginata'' *Suborder Buceroti **Family Bucorvidae ***Genus '' Bucorvus'' ****

Abyssinian ground hornbill The Abyssinian ground hornbill or northern ground hornbill (''Bucorvus abyssinicus'') is an African bird, found north of the equator, and is one of two species of ground hornbill. It is the second largest species of African hornbill, only surpass ...

, ''Bucorvus abyssinicus'' ****

Southern ground hornbill The southern ground hornbill (''Bucorvus leadbeateri''; formerly known as ''Bucorvus cafer'') is one of two species of ground hornbill, both of which are found solely within Africa, and is the largest species in the hornbill order worldwide. It ...

, ''Bucorvus leadbeateri'' **Family

Bucerotidae Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...

***Genus ''

'' **** Trumpeter hornbill, ''Bycanistes bucinator'' ****

Piping hornbill The piping hornbill (''Bycanistes fistulator'') is a bird in the hornbill family. This black-and-white species is found in humid forest and second growth in Central and West Africa, ranging from Senegal east to Uganda and south to Angola. At ...

, ''Bycanistes fistulator'' **** Silvery-cheeked hornbill, ''Bycanistes brevis'' **** Black-and-white-casqued hornbill, ''Bycanistes subcylindricus'' **** Brown-cheeked hornbill, ''Bycanistes cylindricus'' **** White-thighed hornbill, ''Bycanistes albotibialis'' ***Genus '' Horizocerus'' **** White-crested hornbill, ''Horizocerus albocristatus'' **** Black dwarf hornbill, ''Horizocerus hartlaubi'' ***Genus '' Tockus'' **** Red-billed dwarf hornbill, ''Tockus camurus'' **** Monteiro's hornbill, ''Tockus monteiri'' ****

Red-billed hornbill The red-billed hornbills are a group of hornbills found in the savannas and woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. They are now usually Lumpers_and_splitters#Biology, split into five species, the northern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus erythrorhynchus ...

group *****

Northern red-billed hornbill The northern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus erythrorhynchus'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found from southern Mauritania through Somalia and northeast Tanzania. There are five species of red-billed hornbills recogni ...

, ''Tockus erythrorhynchus'' ***** Damara red-billed hornbill, ''Tockus damarensis'' ***** Southern red-billed hornbill, ''Tockus rufirostris'' ***** Tanzanian red-billed hornbill, ''Tockus ruahae'' ***** Western red-billed hornbill, ''Tockus kempi'' **** Eastern yellow-billed hornbill, ''Tockus flavirostris'' **** Southern yellow-billed hornbill, ''Tockus leucomelas'' **** Jackson's hornbill, ''Tockus jacksoni'' ****

Von der Decken's hornbill Von der Decken's hornbill (''Tockus deckeni'') is a hornbill found in East Africa, especially to the east of the East African Rift, from Ethiopia south to Tanzania. It is found mainly in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. Jackson's hornbill i ...

, ''Tockus deckeni'' **** Crowned hornbill, ''Tockus alboterminatus'' **** Bradfield's hornbill, ''Tockus bradfieldi'' **** African pied hornbill, ''Tockus fasciatus'' **** Hemprich's hornbill, ''Tockus hemprichii'' **** Pale-billed hornbill, ''Tockus pallidirostris'' **** African grey hornbill, ''Tockus nasutus'' ***Genus ''

Ocyceros ''Ocyceros'' is a genus of birds in the family Bucerotidae. Established by Allan Octavian Hume in 1873, it contains several species that are limited to the Indian subcontinent. Description Hornbills in the genus ''Ocyceros'' are small Asian bird ...

'' ****

Malabar grey hornbill The Malabar gray hornbill (''Ocyceros griseus'') is a hornbill endemic to the Western Ghats and associated hills of southern India. They have a large beak but lack the casque that is prominent in some other hornbill species. They are found mai ...

, ''Ocyceros griseus'' ****

Sri Lanka grey hornbill The Sri Lanka grey hornbill (''Ocyceros gingalensis'') is a bird in the hornbill family and a widespread and common endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. Habitat ...

, ''Ocyceros gingalensis'' ****

Indian grey hornbill The Indian gray hornbill (''Ocyceros birostris'') is a common hornbill found on the Indian subcontinent. It is mostly arboreal and is commonly sighted in pairs. It has grey feathers all over the body with a light grey or dull white belly. The hor ...

, ''Ocyceros biostris'' ***Genus '' Anthracoceros'' **** Malabar pied hornbill, ''Anthracoceros coronatus'' ****

Oriental pied hornbill The oriental pied hornbill (''Anthracoceros albirostris'') is an Indo-Malayan pied hornbill, a large canopy-dwelling bird belonging to the family Bucerotidae. Two other common names for this species are Sunda pied hornbill (''convexus'') and Mala ...

, ''Anthracoceros albirostris'' **** Black hornbill, ''Anthracoceros malayanus'' **** Palawan hornbill, ''Antracoceros marchei'' ****

Sulu hornbill The Sulu hornbill (''Anthracoceros montani''), or Montano's hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is Endemism, endemic to the Sulu archipelago in the Philippines, with the remaining populations in Tawi-Tawi with it beli ...

, ''Anthracoceros montani'' ***Genus '' Buceros'' ****

Rhinoceros hornbill The rhinoceros hornbill (''Buceros rhinoceros'') is a large species of forest hornbill ( Bucerotidae). In captivity it can live for up to 35 years. It is found in lowland and montane, tropical and subtropical climates and in mountain rain forests ...

, ''Buceros rhinoceros'' ****

Great hornbill The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. I ...

, ''Buceros bicornis'' **** Rufous hornbill, ''Buceros hydrocorax'' ***Genus '' Rhinoplax'' (sometimes included in ''Buceros'') **** Helmeted hornbill, ''Rhinoplax vigil'' ***Genus '' Anorrhinus'' **** Austen's brown hornbill, ''Anorrhinus austeni'' **** Tickell's brown hornbill, ''Anorrhinus tickelli'' **** Bushy-crested hornbill, ''Anorrhinus galeritus'' ***Genus '' Penelopides'' **** Luzon hornbill, ''Penelopides manillae'' **** Mindoro hornbill, ''Penelopides mindorensis'' **** Visayan hornbill, ''Penelopides panini'' **** Samar hornbill, ''Penelopides samarensis'' **** Mindanao hornbill, ''Penelopides affinis'' ***Genus '' Berenicornis'' (sometimes included in ''Aceros'') **** White-crowned hornbill, ''Berenicornis comatus'' ***Genus '' Aceros'' **** Rufous-necked hornbill, ''Aceros nipalensis'' ***Genus Rhabdotorrhinus **** Wrinkled hornbill, ''Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus'' **** Writhed hornbill, ''Rhabdotorrhinus'' ''leucocephalus'' **** Rufous-headed hornbill, ''Rhabdotorrhinus'' ''waldeni'' **** Sulawesi hornbill, ''Rhabdotorrhinus exarhatus'' ***Genus '' Rhyticeros'' (sometimes included in ''Aceros'') ****

Wreathed hornbill The wreathed hornbill (''Rhyticeros undulatus'') is an Old World tropical bird of the hornbill family Bucerotidae, also called bar-pouched wreathed hornbill due to its distinctive blue-black band on its lower throat sac. It is named after its cha ...

, ''Rhyticeros undulatus'' **** Narcondam hornbill, ''Rhyticeros narcondami'' **** Sumba hornbill, ''Rhyticeros everetti'' **** Plain-pouched hornbill, ''Rhyticeros subruficollis'' **** Papuan hornbill, ''Rhyticeros plicatus'' **** Knobbed hornbill, ''Rhyticeros'' ''cassidix'' *** Genus ''

Ceratogymna ''Ceratogymna'' is a genus of large, primarily frugivorous hornbills (family Bucerotidae) found in the humid forests of Central Africa, Central and West Africa. They are sexually dimorphic: males are all black, while females have brown heads and ...

'' **** Black-casqued hornbill, ''Ceratogymna atrata'' **** Yellow-casqued hornbill, ''Ceratogymna elate''

Systematics

Taxonomy

References

Further reading