Gruiformes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gruiformes |
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| Crested crane, Balearica regulorum | |
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Gruiformes
Bonaparte, 1854
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| Global distribution of the cranes | |
The Gruiformes are a large group, or order, of birds. This group includes many different families of birds, some still alive today and many others that are now extinct. These birds live all over the world. The name "Gruiform" means "crane-like," which gives you a clue about what some of these birds look like!
These birds evolved a very long time ago. They appeared much earlier than the passerine songbirds, which are the most common birds we see today. During the Paleocene and Eocene periods, the Gruiformes quickly developed into many different types. This process is called adaptive radiation. Many of these birds are medium to large in size. A lot of them still prefer to live in watery places, like marshes and swamps. These wet areas were very common millions of years ago.
The main birds in the Gruiformes order are cranes and rails. But this group also includes many other birds that scientists find hard to place. Some of these were huge, like the giant Diatryma and Phorusrhacos, which are now extinct.
Images for kids
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Rails are one of the most widespread Gruiformes
See also
In Spanish: Gruiformes para niños
