Article
Article
Cuculiformes
Article By:
Bock, Walter J. Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.172800
An order of birds having zygodactyl feet (two toes are in front and two are behind) in which the fourth toe is reversed, but not having any close relationship to other birds with this foot structure, such as the parrots or piciforms. The order Cuculiformes includes the touracos and the cuckoos. The relationship of the touracos to the cuckoos has been strongly debated and is still unresolved. In addition, this conclusion is very controversial because the hoatzin possesses an anisodactyl pattern of the toes (three toes are in front and one is in back); thus, many investigators place the hoatzin in its own order (Opisthocomiformes) next to the Cuculiformes. See also: Opisthocomiformes; Piciformes; Psittaciformes
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
