The trumpeters are a small family of birds restricted to the forests of the Amazon basin in South America. They are named for the trumpeting call of the males.
The three species are dumpy birds with long necks and legs, and chicken-like bills. The plumage is soft, and they are weak fliers.
These are gregarious birds which nest on the ground, laying large clutches of white or greenish eggs. Their food is insects and fruit.
This group is related to the cranes; relationships are shown below:
The Grui diverged into two major radiations at the beginning of the Tertiary: (1) the Geranoidea (Geranoididae, Bathornithidae, Idiornithidae), and (2) the Gruoidea (Eogruidae, Ergilornithidae, Gruidae, Aramidae, Psophiidae).
The ergilornithids were apparently derived from an eogruid-like ancestor.
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