The Meropidæ, or Bee-eaters, have nearly the same distribution as the Rollers, but they do not penetrate quite so far either into the Eastern Palæarctic or the Australian regions. The distribution of the genera is as follows:--
_Merops_ (21 sp.), has the range of the family extending on the north to South Scandinavia, and east to Australia and New Guinea; _Nyctiornis_ (3 sp.), the Oriental region, except Ceylon and Java; _Meropogon_ (1 sp.), Celebes; _Meropiscus_ (3 sp.), West Africa; _Melittophagus_ (6 sp.), Ethiopian region, except Madagascar.
{ 313}FAMILY 64.--TODIDÆ. (1 Genus, 5 Species.)
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- -- -- 4 |-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- | | | | |
The Todies are delicate, bright-coloured, insectivorous birds, of small size, and allied to the Motmots, although externally more resembling flycatchers. They are wholly confined to the greater Antilles, the islands of Cuba, Hayti, Jamaica, and Porto Rico having each a peculiar species of _Todus_, while another species, said to be from Jamaica, has been recently described (Plate XVI. Vol. II. p. 67).
FAMILY 65.--MOMOTIDÆ. (6 Genera, 17 Species.)
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- 2. 3 -- |-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- --|-- -- -- -- | | | | |
The Motmots range from Mexico to Paraguay and to the west coast of Ecuador, but seem to have their head-quarters in Central America, five of the genera and eleven species occurring from Panama northwards, two of the genera not occurring in South America. The genera are as follows:--
_Momotus_ (10 sp.), Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia, one species extending to Tobago, and one to Western Ecuador; _Urospatha_ (1 sp.), Costa Rica to the Amazon; _Baryphthengus_ (1 sp.), Brazil and Paraguay; _Hylomanes_ (2 sp.), Guatemala; _Prionirhynchus_ (2 sp.), Guatemala to Upper Amazon; _Eumomota_ (1 sp.), Honduras to Chiriqui.