Bucerotiformes is an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

of birds that contains the

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

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 t ...

hoopoe Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...

s and

wood hoopoe The wood hoopoes or scimitarbills are a small African family, Phoeniculidae, of near passerine birds. They live south of the Sahara Desert and are not migratory. While the family is now restricted to Sub-Saharan Africa, fossil evidence shows t ...

s. 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 ba ...

. The clade is distributed in

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

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and

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

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 ...

'' 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 The Saint Helena hoopoe (''Upupa antaios''), also known as the Saint Helena giant hoopoe or giant hoopoe, is an extinct species of the hoopoe (family Upupidae), known exclusively from an incomplete subfossil skeleton. It was last seen around 1550 ...

and the Madagascar subspecies are sometimes elevated to a full species. The two wood hoopoe genera, ''

Phoeniculus ''Phoeniculus'' is a genus of bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambe ...

'' 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 subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

or even separate

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

. 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 (biology), family Messelirrisoridae. They were tiny hoopoe-like birds that were the earliest representatives of the hoopoe/wood-hoopoe lineage, and ...

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

'' ****

Green wood hoopoe The green wood hoopoe (''Phoeniculus purpureus'') is a large, up to long, near-passerine 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. Descr ...

, ''Phoeniculus purpureus'' **** Violet wood hoopoe, ''Phoeniculus damarensis'' **** Black-billed wood hoopoe, ''Phoeniculus somaliensis'' ****

White-headed wood hoopoe The white-headed wood hoopoe (''Phoeniculus bollei'') is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. Etymology The bird's scientific species name ''bollei'' honors Carl August Bolle (1821-1909), a German naturalist and collector. Subspecie ...

, ''Phoeniculus bollei'' ****

Forest wood hoopoe The forest wood hoopoe (''Phoeniculus castaneiceps'') is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Li ...

, ''Phoeniculus castaneiceps'' ***Genus '' Rhinopomastus'' **** Black scimitarbill, ''Rhinopomastus aterrimus'' ****

Common scimitarbill The common scimitarbill (''Rhinopomastus cyanomelas'') is a species of bird in the family Phoeniculidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, ...

, ''Rhinopomastus cyanomelas'' **** Abyssinian scimitarbill, ''Rhinopomastus minor'' **Family

Upupidae Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a singl ...

***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'' ****

African hoopoe The African hoopoe (''Upupa africana'') is a species of hoopoe in the family Upupidae. Previously considered as a subspecies (''Upupa epops africana'') of the Eurasian hoopoe, it is a resident species of southern Africa. Taxonomy The Afric ...

, ''Upupa africana'' **** 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 Bucerotiformes, hornbill order ...

, ''Bucorvus leadbeateri'' **Family

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

***Genus ''

'' ****

Trumpeter hornbill The trumpeter hornbill (''Bycanistes bucinator'') is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between , characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. Body mass is between ...

, ''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 a ...

, ''Bycanistes fistulator'' ****

Silvery-cheeked hornbill The silvery-cheeked hornbill (''Bycanistes brevis'') is a large species of hornbill found in Africa. Silvery-cheeked hornbills are residents of the tall evergreen forests of East Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. In Zimbabwe it is threatened ...

, ''Bycanistes brevis'' ****

Black-and-white-casqued hornbill The black-and-white-casqued hornbill (''Bycanistes subcylindricus'') also known as the grey-cheeked hornbill, is a large black and white hornbill. It has an oversized blackish bill with a large casque on top. The female is slightly smaller than ...

, ''Bycanistes subcylindricus'' ****

Brown-cheeked hornbill The brown-cheeked hornbill (''Bycanistes cylindricus'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Its natural habitats are tropical and subtropical moist broa ...

, ''Bycanistes cylindricus'' ****

White-thighed hornbill The white-thighed hornbill (''Bycanistes albotibialis'') is a species of hornbill. It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Sud ...

, ''Bycanistes albotibialis'' ***Genus '' Tropicranus'' (sometimes included in ''Tockus'') ****

White-crested hornbill The white-crested hornbill (''Horizocerus albocristatus''), also known as the long-tailed hornbill, is a species of hornbill (family Bucerotidae) found in humid forests of Central and West Africa. Taxonomy There are three subspecies, which dif ...

, ''Tropicranus albocristatus'' ***Genus ''

Tockus ''Tockus'' is a genus of birds in the hornbill family, Bucerotidae, which are native to Africa. Description Hornbills in the genus ''Tockus'' are medium-sized African birds with triangular shaped curved bills. They can be found in tropical an ...

'' ****

Black dwarf hornbill The black dwarf hornbill (''Horizocerus hartlaubi'') or western little hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. T ...

, ''Tockus hartlaubi'' **** 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 split into five species, the northern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus erythrorhynchus''), western red-billed hornbil ...

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 recogn ...

, ''Tockus erythrorhynchus'' *****

Damara red-billed hornbill The Damara red-billed hornbill (''Tockus damarensis'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in southwest Angola and northern Namibia. All five red-billed hornbills were formerly considered conspecific. Description l ...

, ''Tockus damarensis'' *****

Southern red-billed hornbill The southern red-billed hornbill (''Tockus rufirostris'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae, which is native to the savannas and dryer bushlands of southern Africa. It is replaced by a near-relative, the Damara red-billed hornbi ...

, ''Tockus rufirostris'' ***** Tanzanian red-billed hornbill, ''Tockus ruahae'' *****

Western red-billed hornbill The western red-billed hornbill (''Tockus kempi'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found from Senegal and Gambia to southern Mauritania and western Mali. There are five species of red-billed hornbills generally recog ...

, ''Tockus kempi'' ****

Eastern yellow-billed hornbill The eastern yellow-billed hornbill (''Tockus flavirostris''), also known as the northern yellow-billed hornbill, is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania ...

, ''Tockus flavirostris'' ****

Southern yellow-billed hornbill The southern yellow-billed hornbill (''Tockus leucomelas'') is a hornbill found in southern Africa. Yellow-billed hornbills feed mainly on the ground, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. This hornbill species is a c ...

, ''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 is ...

, ''Tockus deckeni'' **** Crowned hornbill, ''Tockus alboterminatus'' ****

Bradfield's hornbill Bradfield's hornbill (''Lophoceros bradfieldi'') is an African hornbill. It is a medium-sized bird, in length, characterized by black back and wings and a white belly. The tip feathers of the long tail are white. Females are smaller than males an ...

, ''Tockus bradfieldi'' **** African pied hornbill, ''Tockus fasciatus'' ****

Hemprich's hornbill Hemprich's hornbill (''Lophoceros hemprichii'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. Habitat As observed in the Degua Tembien Dogu'a Temb ...

, ''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 :wikt:casque, casque that is prominent in some other hornbill species. They a ...

, ''Ocyceros griseus'' **** Sri Lanka grey hornbill, ''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 h ...

, ''Ocyceros biostris'' ***Genus '' Anthracoceros'' ****

Malabar pied hornbill The Malabar pied hornbill (''Anthracoceros coronatus''), also known as lesser pied hornbill, is a bird in the hornbill family, a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World. Taxonomy The Malabar pied hornbill was described by ...

, ''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 Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family (biology), family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterize ...

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

Buceros ''Buceros'' is a genus of large Asian hornbills (family Bucerotidae). Description Hornbills in the genus ''Buceros'' include some of the largest arboreal hornbills in the world, with the largest being the great hornbill. All the hornbills in thi ...

'' ****

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. It ...

, ''Buceros bicornis'' **** Rufous hornbill, ''Buceros hydrocorax'' ***Genus ''

Rhinoplax The helmeted hornbill (''Rhinoplax vigil'') is a very large bird in the hornbill family. It is found on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Thailand and Myanmar. The casque (helmetlike structure on the head) accounts for some 11% of its 3&nbs ...

'' (sometimes included in ''Buceros'') ****

Helmeted hornbill The helmeted hornbill (''Rhinoplax vigil'') is a very large bird in the hornbill family. It is found on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Thailand and Myanmar. The casque (helmetlike structure on the head) accounts for some 11% of its 3 ...

, ''Rhinoplax vigil'' ***Genus '' Anorrhinus'' **** Austen's brown hornbill, ''Anorrhinus austeni'' ****

Tickell's brown hornbill Tickell's brown hornbill (''Anorrhinus tickelli''), also known as the rusty-cheeked hornbill, is a species of hornbill found in forests in Burma and adjacent western Thailand. Austen's brown hornbill is sometimes considered as a subspecies of T ...

, ''Anorrhinus tickelli'' **** Bushy-crested hornbill, ''Anorrhinus galeritus'' ***Genus ''

Penelopides ''Penelopides'' is the genus of relatively small, primarily frugivorous hornbills restricted to forested areas of the Philippines. Their common name, tarictic hornbills, is an onomatopoetic reference to the main call of several of them. They ...

'' **** Luzon hornbill, ''Penelopides manillae'' **** Mindoro hornbill, ''Penelopides mindorensis'' **** Visayan hornbill, ''Penelopides panini'' **** Samar hornbill, ''Penelopides samarensis'' **** Mindanao hornbill, ''Penelopides affinis'' **** Sulawesi hornbill, ''Penelopides exarhatus'' ***Genus '' Berenicornis'' (sometimes included in ''Aceros'') ****

White-crowned hornbill The white-crowned hornbill (''Berenicornis comatus''), also known as the long-crested hornbill or white-crested hornbill (leading to easy confusion with the African white-crested hornbill), is a species of hornbill. Taxonomy It is monotypic with ...

, ''Berenicornis comatus'' ***Genus ''

Aceros The rufous-necked hornbill (''Aceros nipalensis'') is a species of hornbill in Bhutan, northeastern India, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is locally extinct in Nepal due to hunting and significant los ...

'' ****

Rufous-necked hornbill The rufous-necked hornbill (''Aceros nipalensis'') is a species of hornbill in Bhutan, northeastern India, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is locally extinct in Nepal due to hunting and significant los ...

, ''Aceros nipalensis'' ****

Wrinkled hornbill The wrinkled hornbill or Sunda wrinkled hornbill (''Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus'') is a medium-large hornbill which is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. The wrinkled hornbill is around 70 cm long, and has a ve ...

, ''Aceros corrugatus'' **** Writhed hornbill, ''Aceros leucocephalus'' **** Rufous-headed hornbill, ''Aceros waldeni'' ****

Knobbed hornbill The knobbed hornbill (''Rhyticeros cassidix''), also known as Sulawesi wrinkled hornbill, is a colourful hornbill native to Indonesia. The species is sometimes placed in the genus '' Aceros''. The knobbed hornbill is the faunal symbol of South S ...

, ''Aceros cassidix'' ***Genus ''

Rhyticeros ''Rhyticeros'' is a genus of medium to large hornbills (family Bucerotidae) found in forests from Southeast Asia to the Solomons. They are sometimes included in the genus '' Aceros''. On the other hand, most species generally placed in ''Aceros' ...

'' (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 The plain-pouched hornbill (''Rhyticeros subruficollis'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in forests of the Dawna Range and the Tenasserim Hills of southern Myanmar, adjacent parts of western Thailand and norther ...

, ''Rhyticeros subruficollis'' **** Papuan hornbill, ''Rhyticeros plicatus'' *** Genus ''

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

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

Yellow-casqued hornbill The yellow-casqued hornbill (''Ceratogymna elata''), also known as the yellow-casqued wattled hornbill, is found in the rainforest of coastal regions of West Africa, for example in Côte d'Ivoire. The yellow-casqued hornbill is one of the larges ...

, ''Ceratogymna elate''

Systematics

Taxonomy

References

Further reading