Neomorphinae

Neomorphinae
A greater roadrunner, Geococcyx Californianus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Subfamily:	Neomorphinae
Genera
Dromococcyx Geococcyx Morococcyx Neomorphus Tapera

Neomorphinae is a subfamily of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. The birds in this group live in the Americas and are terrestrial, meaning they live on the ground. But the two genera, Dromococcyx and Tapera, are more arboreal, meaning they live in trees. Birds in this group are known as "New World ground cuckoos".

Description

All birds in this group are long-legged and long-tailed. They come in different sizes. The species in the genus Geococcyx are around 48 to 56 centimetres (19 to 22 in) long. The smallest bird in this group, the striped cuckoo, is 26 to 29 centimetres (10 to 11 in) long.

Feeding

New World ground cuckoos are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. They eat many types of insects like grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars, arachnids like spiders and scorpions, snakes like rattlesnakes, lizards, other birds and bird eggs, small mammals like mice, small, young rabbits and bats. They also eat seeds and fruits.

Habitat

New World ground cuckoos are found in forests, woodlands and deserts all over the Americas.

Genera

Genus: Tapera

• Striped cuckoo, Tapera naevia

Genus: Neomorphus

• Rufous-vented ground cuckoo, Neomorphus geoffroyi
• Red-billed ground cuckoo, Neomorphus pucheranii
• Banded ground cuckoo, Neomorphus radiolosus
• Rufous-winged ground cuckoo, Neomorphus rufipennis
• Scaled ground cuckoo, Neomorphus squamiger

Genus: Morococcyx

• Lesser ground cuckoo, Morococcyx erythropygus

Genus: Geococcyx

• Lesser roadrunner, Geococcyx velox
• Greater roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus

Genus: Dromococcyx

• Pavonine cuckoo, Dromococcyx pavoninus
• Pheasant cuckoo, Dromococcyx phasianellus

References

• Family Cuculidae-Subfamily Neomorphinae Archived 2014-08-10 at the Wayback Machine