THE SCANSORES, OR CLIMBING BIRDS.
The family to which these Birds belong takes its name from the Latin words, scandere, scansum, meaning to climb; yet, strange as it may seem, there are many birds belonging to this family that cannot climb, and there are other Birds, especially some of those belonging to the Sparrow family, that can climb and are not classified in this group.
The peculiar characteristic of all the birds found among the Scansores is the formation of their feet. The toes are in pairs, two before and two behind, which enables them to cling to the branches, and climb all about the trees. All the different Birds who have their toes arranged in this peculiar manner are included in the family of Scansores; and although some of them do not climb so readily as others, they spend the greater part of their time perched in the trees instead of flying about in the air. Their flight is medium, not being so strong as that of the Birds of Prey nor so light as that of the Sparrow family.
The climbers do not form a very large family; the most familiar are the Parrots, Cockatoos, Cuckoos, Toucans, Jamicars, Woodpeckers, etc. They live chiefly in warm countries, and feed upon fruits and insects, and the majority are noted for their brilliant colors.