BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
CUCKOOS and their Allies
Order Cuculiformes Family Cuculidae
CUCKOOS and their Allies
Order Cuculiformes Family Cuculidae
In addition to cuckoos, the cuckoo family Cuculidae also includes the roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families. The cuckoos are generally medium sized slender birds. The majority are of the cuculidae family are arboreal, with a sizeable minority that are terrestrial. Most are tropical and the temperate species are migratory. The cuckoos feed on insects, insect larva, as well as fruit. Many species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species, but the majority of species raise their own young. Cuckoos are medium sized birds that range in size from 15-63 cm. There is generally little sexual dimorphism in size, but where it exists, it can be either the male or the female that is larger. There are two basic body forms, arboreal species which are slender and have short tarsi, and terrestrial species which are more heavy set and have long tarsi. Almost all species have long tails which are used for steering in terrestrial species and as a rudder during flight in the arboreal species.
The turacos have also been consider part of the Cuculiformes order, but they may be placed in their own order Musophagiformes.
MALKOHAs and COUAs
Genus Carpococcyx
Cuckoo, Borneo Ground- Carpococcyx radiceus Found: Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia)
The Borneo Ground-Cuckoo was formerly considered conspecific with the Sumatran Ground_Cuckoo.
Image by: 1) Nicholas LeJeune 2) Mark_Louis_Benedict
Cuckoo, Coral-billed Ground- Carpococcyx renauldi Found: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
The Coral-billed Ground-Cuckoo has a red bill which separates it from other members of this genus.
Image by: 1, 2) Alois Staudacher
Cuckoo,_Sumatran_Ground- Carpococcyx viridis Found: Sumatra of Indonesia
The Suamtran Ground-Cuckoo has green upperparts, bill, legs; black crown; bluish-green orbital skin; brown underparts. The Borneo Ground-Cuckoo was formerly considered conspecific with the Sumatran Ground_Cuckoo.
Image by: 1) Nick_Brickle
Genus Ceuthmochares
Malkoha,_Blue also Chattering Yellowbill Ceuthmochares aereus Found: Africa
The Blue Malkoha has grayish head, belly throat; heavy yellow bill. Depending on subspecies, it has green or green and blue or blue back, wings, tail.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Francesco Veronesi - Ghana 
Malkoha,_Green also Whistling Yellowbill Ceuthmochares australis Found: eastern Africa from Kenya to South Africa
The Green Malkoha has green upperparts; yellow bill.
Image by: 1) Steve_Garvie 2) Jim Scarff - South Africa
Genus Coua
These cuckoos are found on Madagascar. They have brightly colored bare skin around the eyes.
Coua,_Blue Coua caerulea Found: Madagascar
The Blue Coua has mainly blue plumage.
Image by: 1) Olaf Riemer 2) Ross Tsai
Coua, Coquerel's Coua coquereli Found: Madagascar
The Coquerel's Coua has olive-green upperparts; pale upper-breast; reddish lower-breast, belly; blue patch around eye surrounded by black border.
Similar to: Gaint Coua. Coquerel's Coua has reddish bellly; Giant Coua belly has very little red.
Image by: 1) Ross Tsai 2) Bernard Dupont 3, 4, 5) Dick Daniels - Kirindy Forest, MadagascarSimilar to: Gaint Coua. Coquerel's Coua has reddish bellly; Giant Coua belly has very little red.
Coua,_Crested Coua cristata Found: Madagascar
The Crested Coua has greenish-gray upperparts; gray crest; rufous breast; white belly; brown eye with blue bare orbital skin.
Similar to: Verreaux's Coua. Verreaux's Coua has darker crested than Crested-Coua.
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo 3) Charles_J_Sharp 4) Pat and Keith Taylor - Mosa Spiny Forest Reserve Similar to: Verreaux's Coua. Verreaux's Coua has darker crested than Crested-Coua.
Coua, Giant Coua gigas Found: Madagascar
The Giant Coua has olive-green upperparts; buff underparts; blue patch around eye surrounded by black border.
Similar to: Coquerel's Coua. Coquerel's Coua has reddish bellly; Giant Coua belly has very little red.
Image by: 1) David Cook 2) J Fi 3) Daniel Guip 4, 5) Dick Daniels - Kirindy Forest, MadagascarSimilar to: Coquerel's Coua. Coquerel's Coua has reddish bellly; Giant Coua belly has very little red.
Coua, Red-breasted Coua serriana Found: Madagascar
The Red-breasted Coua has olive-green upperparts; dark red breast; blue patch around eye surrounded by black.
Image by: 1) Nigel_Voaden 2) Amy_McAndrews
Coua, Red-capped Coua ruficeps Found: Madagascar
The Red-capped Coua has a red crown; blue around the eyes.
Similar to: Red-fronted Coua. Red-capped Coua has red on entire cap; Red-fronted Coua has red on front half of crown.
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Arboretum near Tulear, Madagascar. Similar to: Red-fronted Coua. Red-capped Coua has red on entire cap; Red-fronted Coua has red on front half of crown.
1, 2, 3) Subspecies Green-capped Coua (Coua ruficeps olivaceiceps)
Coua, Red-fronted Coua reynaudii Found: Madagascar
The Red-fronted Coua has red on the front half of its crown; blue around the eyes.
Similar to: Red-capped Coua. Red-capped Coua has red on entire cap; Red-fronted Coua has red on front half of crown.
Image by: 1) David Cook 2) Ken Behrens 3) Francesco_VeronesiSimilar to: Red-capped Coua. Red-capped Coua has red on entire cap; Red-fronted Coua has red on front half of crown.
Coua,_Running Coua cursor Found: Madagascar
Image by: 1) Francesco Veronesi 2, 3) Alan_Harper
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Coua,_Verreaux's Coua verreauxi Found: Madagascar
The Verreaux's Coua has gray upperparts; dark gray crest; brown eye with blue bare orbital skin.
Similar to: Crested Coua. Verreaux's Coua has darker crested than Crested-Coua.
Image by: 1) Zak_PohlenSimilar to: Crested Coua. Verreaux's Coua has darker crested than Crested-Coua.
Genus Phaenicophaeus
Malkohas, large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae, are all Asian tropical species. They are not parasitic brooders, seldom fly, and are usually silent.
Malkoha,_Black-bellied Phaenicophaeus diardi Found: southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia
Image by: 1) Marc 2) Amar-Singh HSS - Malaysia 2) Tedi Wahyudi - Indonesia
Malkoha, Blue-faced Phaenicophaeus viridirostris Found: Indian subcontinent
The Blue-faced Malkoha has dark green upperparts; green upper-tail edged with white; large blue patch around eye; green bill.
Image by: 1) Osado - India 2) Lip Kee - Sri Lanka 3) Joby Joseph - India
Malkoha, Chestnut-bellied Phaenicophaeus sumatranus Found: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand
Image by: 1, 2, 3) Lip Kee - Singapore
Malkoha, Chestnut-breasted Phaenicophaeus curvirostris Found: Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
The Chestnut-breasted Malkoha has gray and dark green upperparts; chestnut underparts.
Image by: 1) Rafael Robanya - Miami Zoo 2) Nathan Rupert - San Diego Zoo 3) Evan Parker 4) Dick Daniels - Bronx Zoo 5) Lip Kee - Malaysia
1) Female, Broken or deformed bill 2 - 5) Male
Malkoha,_Green-billed Phaenicophaeus tristis Found: south Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia
Image by: 1) Lip Kee - India 2) Hiyashi Haka 3) Tarak Kahn 4) Diyan
Malkoha,_Red-billed Phaenicophaeus javanicus also Zanclostomus javanicus Found: southeast Asia
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo 3) Johnny Wee 4) Lip_kee - Malaysia
Malkoha,_Red-crested also Rough-crested Malkoha Phaenicophaeus superciliosus also Dasylophus superciliosus Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) Blake Matheson 2) Francesco Veronesi 3) Neon Tomas Buenaflor Rosell 4) Ramon J Quisumbing
Malkoha, Red-faced Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus Found: Sri Lanka
The Red-faced Malkoha has dark green upperparts; black crown, throat; white lower face; red eye-patch; green bill.
Image by: 1) P Khoo 2) Amila Salgado 3) Steve Garvie 4) Pinned
Malkoha, Scale-feathered Phaenicophaeus cumingi also Dasylophus cumingi Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) Lius Limchiu
Malkoha,_Sirkeer Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii also Taccocua leschenaultii Found: Asia
The Sirkeer Malkoha has mainly earthy-brown plumage with some rufous on underparts; long tail may be edged with white; hooked bill may be red or yellow. Juvenile duller and barred above.
Image by: 1, 3) JM Garg - India 2) Jugal Tiwari - India 4) Mohan_Kemparaju
Malkoha, Yellow-billed Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchus also Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1) Arie Frahman - North Sulawesi 2) Francesco Veronesi - Tangkoko Sulawesi 3) Ingo_Washkies
Genus Rhinortha - 1 species
Malkoha, Raffles's Rhinortha chlorophaeus Found: south east Asia, , Indonesia, Malaysia
Image by: 1) Lip Kee - Malaysia 2) Mark Benedict - Malaysia
