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.