Piciformes

Six families of largely arboreal birds make up the order Piciformes, the best-known of them is the Picidae which includes the woodpeckers and close relatives. There are about 67 genera in the 6 families and a little over 400 species.

In general, the Piciformes are insectivorous, although the toucans mostly eat fruit and the honeyguides beeswax. All Piciformes, like the owls and parrots, have zygodactyl[?] feet—two toes forward and two back, an arrangement that has obvious advantages for birds that spend much of their time on tree trunks. The jacamars[?] aside, Piciformes do not have down at any age, only true feathers. All nest in cavities and have altricial[?] young.

• ORDER PICIFORMES
  • Family Picidae, (woodpeckers, piculets, and wrynecks: over 200 species)
  • Family Capitonidae, (barbets: about 80 species)
  • Family Ramphastidae, (toucans: 42 species)
  • Galbulidae, (jacamars[?]: 18 species)
  • Family Bucconidae, (puffbirds[?], nunbirds[?] and nunlets[?]: 33 species)
  • Family Indicatoridae, (honeyguides: 17 species)