Puffbirds

34 species

The puffbirds are tropical tree-dwelling insectivorous birds that are found from South America up to Mexico. They are mainly brown, rufous, or grey, with large heads, large eyes, and flattened bills with a hooked tip. Their loose, abundant plumage and short tails make them look stout and puffy, giving rise to the English name of the family. Puffbirds are one of the most silent birds in the Neotropics and vocalize very rarely. When calling they mostly do so at dawn and dusk. Puffbirds are arboreal mostly secretive birds that are usually found singly or in small family groups. They are sit-and-wait hunters, perching unmoving for long periods while watching for insect prey. The breeding behavior of puffbirds is not well known. They are known to lay clutches of two or three eggs and chicks are born blind and naked; they can crawl to the entrance of the nest burrow at one or two days of age and fledge at around 20 to 21 days.
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The puffbirds are tropical tree-dwelling insectivorous birds that are found from South America up to Mexico. They are mainly brown, rufous, or grey, with large heads, large eyes, and flattened bills with a hooked tip. Their loose, abundant plumage and short tails make them look stout and puffy, giving rise to the English name of the family. Puffbirds are one of the most silent birds in the Neotropics and vocalize very rarely. When calling they mostly do so at dawn and dusk. Puffbirds are arboreal mostly secretive birds that are usually found singly or in small family groups. They are sit-and-wait hunters, perching unmoving for long periods while watching for insect prey. The breeding behavior of puffbirds is not well known. They are known to lay clutches of two or three eggs and chicks are born blind and naked; they can crawl to the entrance of the nest burrow at one or two days of age and fledge at around 20 to 21 days.
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