Bucconidae (redirected from puffbird)

Bucconidae [bə′kän·ə‚dē]

(vertebrate zoology)

The puffbirds, a family of neotropical birds in the order Piciformes.

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Bucconidae 

(puffbirds), a family of birds of the order Pici-formes. The body length measures 14–26 cm. The bill is massive and often hooked. The legs are short. The plumage is loose and usually dull black, brown, or rust. There are approximately 30 species, which are distributed in the tropics of Central and South America. They Bucconidae inhabit forests and forest clearings, living alone or in pairs. They locate their prey (insects, myrio-pods, lizards) by perching motionless high in trees. They nest in niches hollowed out in the nests of wood termites or in shallow holes in the ground. Two or, less frequently, three white eggs are laid, which both the male and female incubate for 14 days. The Bucconidae are sometimes hunted for their meat.