The ground jays or ground choughs belong to a distinct group of the
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...
order of birds in the genus ''Podoces'' of the
crow family
Corvidae. They inhabit high altitude semi-desert areas from central
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
to
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
.
Ground jays show adaptations to ground living such as long, strong legs adapted to fast running and the ability to leap and bound onto boulders and rocks with great agility. Their long, curved thick bills are adapted for digging and probing.
While capable of
flight (which they do infrequently and relatively weakly), they prefer running, and will readily perch on trees and bushes also.
Species list
The
ground tit (''Pseudopodoces humilis''), previously Hume's ground jay, has changed its placement within the
Passeriformes recently because of molecular and osteological testing. It has now been placed into the
Paridae.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1991447
Podoces