Gruiformes

Gruiformes

[′grü·ə′fȯr‚mēz]

(vertebrate zoology)

A heterogeneous order of generally cosmopolitan birds including the rails, coots, limpkins, button quails, sun grebes, and cranes.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Gruiformes

 

a broad order of birds of very diversified morphology and way of life. They are predominately marsh and ground birds; less frequently, they nest in trees. The order has approximately 190 species belonging to 13 families: Mesitotnithidae, Turnicidae, Pedionomidae, Gruidae, Aramidae, Psophiidae, Rallidae, Heliornithidae, Rhynochetidae, Eurypgidae, Cariamidae, Otididae, and Burhinidae.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.