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Coraciiformes
Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Coraciiformes Forbes, 1884
Families
Bucerotidae Coraciidae Brachypteraciidae Upupidae Phoeniculidae Meropidae Todidae Momotidae Alcedinidae Halcyonidae Cerylidae Leptosomatidae For prehistoric taxa, see text.

The Coraciiformes are a group of usually colourful near passerine birds including the kingfishers, the Hoopoe, the bee-eaters, the rollers, and the hornbills. They generally have syndactyly, with three forward pointing toes.

This is largely an Old World order, with the representation in the New World limited to 13 species of todies and motmots, and just six of the 84 kingfishers.

This order has been seen to be something of a mixed assortment, and the Coraciiformes may be considered as including only the rollers. All the other families would then be considered to represent lineages of birds distantly related to Coraciiformes.

Analysis of nuclear genes demonstrates that the Coraciiformes can be divided into a basal group that is not distantly related to the Piciformes, and a derived suborder containing mainly kingfishers (Johansson & Ericson, 2003). The Cuckoo Roller is only tentatively placed in this family nowadays; its true affinities appear to lie elsewhere.

Several extinct families are only known from Paleogene fossils; they probably belong to the basal group and are sometimes difficult to assign because they were even closer still to the Piciformes (see also Neanis). In addition, there are some prehistoric genera which are likewise difficult to place into a family. At least one, the Late Eocene Geranopterus, is a primitive form, but modern families probably were already present by that time. A few prehistoric genera of the present-day families have been described; see the family articles for details.

Basal group

• Genus Geranopterus (fossil; Late Eocene of Quercy, France) - basal
• The Trogonidae (trogons) are sometimes placed here, sometimes in their own order (Trogoniformes)
• Family Eocoraciidae (fossil)
• Family Primobucconidae (fossil)
• Family Messelirrisoridae (fossil)
• Genus Cryptornis (fossil; Late Eocene of France) - bucerotid?
• Family Bucerotidae (hornbills)
• Family Coraciidae (rollers)
• Family Brachypteraciidae (ground rollers)
• Family Upupidae (Hoopoe)
• Family Phoeniculidae (woodhoopoes)
• Family Meropidae (bee-eaters)
• Genus Quasisyndactylus (fossil; Middle Eocene of Messel, Germany) - alcediniform, basal?

Suborder Alcedini

• Family Todidae (todies)
• Family Momotidae (motmots)
• Family Alcedinidae (river kingfishers)
• Family Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers)
• Family Cerylidae (water or belted kingfishers)

Unassigned

• Family Leptosomatidae (Cuckoo Roller)

• Johansson, Ulf S. & Ericson, Per G. P. (2003): Molecular support for a sister group relationship between Pici and Galbulae (Piciformes sensu Wetmore 1960). Journal of Avian Biology 34: 185–197. PDF fulltext