Sandgrouse are found exclusively in the Old World, including portions of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, India, China, and Mongolia. Sandgrouse are found in desert and semi-desert areas as well as in various grassland habitats. Sandgrouse eat seeds almost exclusively. They pick seeds off the surface of the ground, and may also look for buried seeds by flicking away the surface layer of sand …
Pigeons and doves are found worldwide, except in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and at high elevations. Particularly large numbers of species are found in tropical areas, especially those near the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. About 60 percent of pigeons and doves are found on small islands far from continental land masses. Dodos were previously found on several small islands in the India…
Pigeons and doves are found worldwide except in the Arctic and Antarctica. There are particularly large numbers of species in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, including on the many islands in that part of the world. Humans have hunted and raised pigeons for food, as pets, and even to transport written messages. A third of the 316 existing pigeon and dove species are believed to be Threatened …
Dodos and solitaires are Extinct, no longer existing, but were once found on the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, and perhaps Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Dodos and solitaires inhabited woodland areas. The dodo and the two species of solitaires are Extinct, due to human hunting and to the introduction of non-native species such as cats, rats, and pigs. …
Most parrots live in the Southern Hemisphere, the portion of Earth south of the equator. This range includes the continents of South America, Australia, and Africa. Parrots also live in Central American countries including Belize, as well as countries including Mexico, New Zealand, New Guinea, India, and Afghanistan. Parrots are tree-dwellers that live in various habitats. They live in rainfo…
Turacos and plantain eaters are unique to Africa. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, the part of the continent below the Sahara Desert. The birds are found in the countries of Angola, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Sudan, Kenya, Gabo…
Cuckoos are located on every continent except Antarctica. The great spotted cuckoo is found in countries including France, Iraq, and Egypt. The common cuckoo spends summers in Europe and Asia, then winters in Africa. The greater anis range in Central and South America. Greater roadrunners live in the United States and Mexico. Members of this large family live in a variety of habitats. Some cu…
Owls are found on every continent except Antarctica. The tropics support the greatest variety of owl species. …
Barn owls need a mix of wooded areas and open space. They also require tree cavities, caves, or other protected areas for nest sites. Barn owls eat mostly small mammals such as voles and mice. They will also take birds, reptiles, amphibians, and large insects, however. In Australia, where there are no native mammals, barn owls prey on small marsupials. Barn owl pellets have a distinctive dark…
Representatives of the family can be found on every continent except Antarctica. In contrast to tytonids, which are found only in regions where the climate is mild, some typical owls live in very cold climates. Typical owls can be found in almost every type of habitat, but 95 percent are forest dwellers. The term "forest" covers a wide range of habitats, from tropical rainforest…
Oilbirds eat fruit that they pluck from trees. All other caprimulgiforms eat arthropods, animals with no backbones. These include insects, spiders, and millipedes. Larger birds eat vertebrates, creatures with backbones, like frogs, mice, small birds, and bats. …
Oilbirds live mainly in South America and are found in the countries of Guyana, Trinidad, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia. Oilbirds also range in the Central American countries of Costa Rica and Panama, and the islands of Tobago and Aruba. Oilbirds live in caves along coasts and in the mountains. Birds make their homes in areas near coniferous or evergreen forests�…
Australian frogmouths live in Australia, New Guinea and surrounding islands, Tasmania, and the Solomon Islands. Asian frogmouths live in Asian countries including India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka¸ the Philippines, Borneo, and Java. Frogmouths live in a range of habitats where there are trees. Some species live in rainforests where heavy rain produces plenty of trees. Other birds live in grass…
Owlet-nightjars live in Australia, Moluccas, New Guinea and nearby islands, Tasmania, and New Caledonia. Owlet-nightjars live in various types of forests. Species in New Guinea range in rainforests, where rain throughout the year produces abundant growth. Owlet-nightjar species live in mountain forests, and in scrubland where there are fewer trees. Owlet-nightjars have little contact with peo…
Potoos live in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Tobago, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Trinidad. Potoos live in rainforests, where rain throughout the year produces abundant growth. The birds live in coniferous or evergreen forests, where trees don't undergo seasonal change and shed leaves. …
Nightjar species are found throughout most of the world. No species live in the Arctic, Antarctic, and some oceanic islands. Some nightjar species migrate across continents. These include European nightjars that breed in Europe and spend the winter in Africa. Nightjars live in habitats ranging from semi-arid deserts to rainforests, where abundant rainfall produces plentiful growth. The birds …
Swifts are found throughout most of the world, on every continent except Antarctica. Swifts' habitats vary from coniferous and deciduous forests to grasslands where there are few trees. Swifts need to build nests in locations where it is easy for them to take flight. Swiftlets build nests in caves. Some birds make nests on cliffs, in chimneys or other tall structures. Swifts are insect…
Tree swifts live in Asia in the countries of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Bali, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam. They also range in New Guinea, Bismarck, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands. Tree swifts eat flying insects like ants, beetles, wasps, and bees. Tree swifts are aerial feeders; they fly after prey, insects hunted for food. The birds also eat …
Hummingbirds live in North, Central, and South America. Hummingbirds live in coniferous forests where trees do not undergo seasonal change. They range in rainforests where year-round rain produces abundant growth and in deciduous forests where trees shed leaves during certain seasons. They are also found in grasslands, deserts, and wetlands like swamps. For centuries, hummingbirds have fascin…
Mousebirds live in sub-Saharan Africa, in countries south of the Sahara Desert. Bar-breasted mousebirds range throughout most of that area. White-headed mousebirds live in Kenya and Tanzania. Chestnut-backed mousebirds live in the region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. White-backed mousebirds and red-faced mousebirds live in southern Africa. Blue-naped mousebirds live in w…
Trogons are distributed throughout central and southern Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, and north and central South America. Trogons usually live in tropical forests, being found from rainforests to tropical woodlands. Most species are scattered within the tropics and subtropics, usually inhabiting the middle elevations of forests. On the northern and southern edges of their habitat,…
Twenty-five species of Coraciiformes are threatened with extinction. There are three Critically Endangered species, facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild; five listed as Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild; and seventeen species are Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. …
Kingfishers are found throughout aquatic or wooded habitats, avoiding open country. They range from arid savannas to dense rainforests, and from low seacoasts to high mountains. Species that feed on aquatic animals are found from arid (dry, little rainfall) seashores to small mountain streams. Species that feed on land animals are found from arid savannas to dense rainforests. Most kingfisher…
Todies range through the larger islands of the Caribbean, including the Greater Antilles in the West Indies. Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico each have one species, while Hispaniola holds two species. Todies eat large amounts of food with respect to their tiny body size, often eating one insect or more during every minute of the daytime hours. They eat a wide variety of insect families, but chi…
Motmots are found from northeastern Mexico through most of tropical South America, as far as northern Argentina. Honduras contains seven species, while Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua each have six species. Venezuela, the Guianas, and Suriname have only one species. Motmots are mainly found in tropical or mountainous forests and woodlands. Although most species are lowland dwellers, the blue…
Bee-eaters range throughout the tropics of the Old World, with their center of population in northern and tropical Africa. They are also found in Madagascar, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. Bee-eaters live in areas of open, lightly wooded country such as savannas (flat grasslands), woodlands, steppes (large, often treeless, plains), and scrub deserts. Some species prefer rainforest…
Rollers range within Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia to northeastern and southeastern Asia, and Australasia, east to the Solomon Islands. Rollers live in forests, woodlands, savannas (flat grasslands), and within urban areas, preferring the tropics and subtropics. People generally have little interest in rollers. Some exceptions occur; for instance, body parts of rollers are used i…
Hoopoes are widely found in northern, central, and southern Africa, Madagascar, Europe, and Asia. People like hoopoes because they eat many insects that are agriculture and forestry pests. Thus, hoopoes are widely protected by a variety of national laws. However, many hoopoes are still hunted in southern Europe and parts of Asia. …
Woodhoopoes range throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with a small number of birds in northeast Africa. They are one of the few bird families that are confined to Africa. Woodhoopoes live in rainforests, forests, woodland, savannas (flat grassland), thornbush country, and arid steppes (dry plains that are often grass-covered) that contain adequate amounts of scattered trees. They avoid treeless ar…
Hornbills are found in sub-Saharan Africa; from India and continuing east through south and Southeast Asia; onto the Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos including New Guinea; and east to the Solomon Islands. Hornbills inhabit deserts, rainforests, steppes (treeless plain, often semiarid and grass-covered), woodlands, savannas (flat grasslands), and mountains, but prefer forested areas to o…
Piciforms inhabit forests and woodlands, mostly in tropical environments. They are arboreal—that is, they live in trees. Many of the species prefer mature forests with a closed canopy, meaning the tallest trees' leaves let little light onto the forest floor. However, some species prefer open, fragmented forests and woodland savannas (flat grasslands) while other species like for…
Jacamars range from southern Mexico in Central America to northern Argentina in South America. Jacamars prefer to eat large, showy, flying insects such as blue morpho butterflies, hawk moths, and venomous insects such as wasps, ants, and sawflies. Their diet also consists of other types of butterflies and moths, dragonflies, and flying beetles. They grab prey out of the air with their long, s…
Puffbirds range from southern Mexico in Central America to northern Argentina and Paraguay in South America. They are not found on any islands off the coasts of these countries. Because puffbirds are difficult to locate, little is known about their eating habits. It is believed that they eat mostly insects. Most species also eat arthropods (invertebrate animals with jointed limbs), along with…
Barbets are found in northern South America, southern Central America, sub-Saharan Africa, and south and Southeast Asia. They are found mainly within tropical Africa. Barbets inhabit lowland tropical forests and forest edges. Some species, especially the African ones, are found in secondary forests, parklands, and urban areas that contain fruiting trees. Other species live in drier thornbush …
Toucans are found from north-central Mexico south through Central America to northern Argentina in South America. Colombia has the largest number of toucan species, twenty-one in all. Venezuela, Ecuador, and Brazil each are home to seventeen toucan species. Rivers often form barriers separating different species because toucans don't like to make long flights over water. Most toucans l…
Honeyguides are found in the temperate (mild) and tropical parts of Africa south of the Sahara. In addition, two species are found along the southern foothills of the Himalayas and in Southeast Asia. Honeyguides live in dense primary forests, secondary forests, gallery forests in semiarid country, open woodlands and scrublands that include a mix of broadleaved trees, shrubs, and grassland. Ge…
Picids are found around the world except Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Madagascar, Ireland, many oceanic islands, and polar regions. Wrynecks are found only in Eurasia and Africa. Piculets are located only in Asia, South and Central America, and Hispaniola. Picids are found in any environment that contains woody vegetation, preferring forests, woodlands, and savannas (flat grasslands). …
