Campephagidae

▪ bird family

      songbird family, order Passeriformes, including cuckoo-shrikes and minivets. The 70 species, found from Africa to the Pacific Islands, are 13 to 35 cm (5 to 14 inches) in length and have slightly hooked bills, rather long tails, and fluffy plumage with loose, stiff feathers on the back and rump. Many are gray and barred; this, together with a fondness for eating caterpillars, suggests a cuckoo. Most also eat fruit. Campephagids inhabit forests and gardens, often in noisy flocks; they whistle or trill agreeably and flit from tree to tree in follow-the-leader fashion. The cup nest, usually placed high in a tree, contains from two to five eggs. Nestlings may wear white down, and juveniles resemble adult females, whose coloration may differ greatly from that of males. See cuckoo-shrike; minivet.

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