164 



CHARACTERS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS 



with which they are often included. The well-developed first 

 toe is turned backwards. They are essentially desert forms, 

 and their beautiful plumage is coloured so as to largely harmonize 

 with surroundings of the kind. The head is distinguished by its 

 long slender curved beak and handsome crest of features, which 



can be raised or depressed 



at will. 



The European Hoopoe 



( Upupa epops] (fig. in) is 



a fairly common visitor to 



Britain. 



8. Hornbills (fig. 112) 

 are large tropical birds, 

 ranging from Africa to the 

 Solomon Islands, and distin- 

 guished by the possession of 

 enormous beaks, which in 

 some cases have a large 

 projection or casque on the 

 upper side at the base. 



9. Kingfishers are dis- 

 tinguished by the structure 

 of their feet, in which the 

 great toe is backwardly 

 directed, and the two outer 

 toes united together. The 

 beak is strong and pointed, 

 varying in shape according 

 to the food, which in one 

 group consists of fish, in the 



other of reptiles and small mammals. Kingfishers have a world- 

 wide distribution, but are most abundant in the Australian half of 

 the East Indies, from Celebes to New Guinea, to which area the 

 majority of the genera are confined. 



The European Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida), which is a well- 

 known British resident, is distinguished by its beautiful plumage, 

 in which various shades of blue predominate above while the 

 under surface is chestnut-coloured. As in the fish-eating species 

 generally, the beak is long and pointed, while the tail is short. 

 As an example of the reptile-eating kingfishers, the Laughing 



Fig. 112. Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros] 



