Broad-headed silk cuckoo
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Broad-headed silk cuckoo ( Coua verreauxi ) |
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| Coua verreauxi | ||||||||||||
| Grandidier , 1867 |
The broad-headed silk cuckoo ( Coua verreauxi ) is a species of bird from the genus of the silk cuckoo . It is endemic to Madagascar . The species is named after the French botanist and ornithologist Jules Verreaux .
features
The broad-headed silk cuckoo reaches a length of 34 centimeters. The sexes look the same. In the adult birds, the upper side is gray. The gray head has black tips and can be directed forwards, backwards or upright. The wings are slightly dark gray with a greenish tinge. The tail is dark gray with a bluish and purple tint and a wide, white terminal band that does not run on the central tail feathers. The head is greenish-gray. The underside is whitish. Throat and chest are gray. The sides of the chest are white and sometimes sandy in color. The eye area is characterized by a two-tone bare facial skin, which is colored ultramarine blue around and in front of the eye and light sky blue behind the eye. In contrast to other species of silk cuckoo, there is no black outline around the skin of the face. The eye ring is blue, the iris is brown to red. The small beak, legs and feet are black. The juvenile birds look similar to the adults. They have a short hair. The tail feathers are narrower and more pointed, and the white terminal band is also shorter. The beak is bright.
voice
The call consists of loud, descending, dark "crick-crick-crick-corick-corick" tones, which are more shrill and scratchy than the corresponding "coy coy" call of the pointed-headed silk cuckoo ( Coua cristata ). In addition, a loud, growling “quark quark” can be heard, followed by a soft “coo coo” that decreases in pitch.
distribution
The broad-headed silky cuckoo is a resident bird that occurs in southwestern Madagascar between the rivers Onilahy and Menarandra and east of Menarandra near Toliara in the coral limestone bushland.
habitat
The broad-headed silky cuckoo lives in semi-arid thorn thickets, which are dominated by milkweed and Didierea plants, as well as steppes on sandy and limestone soils between sea level and altitudes of up to 200 meters. He is mostly in trees.
food
The broad-headed silky cuckoo feeds on insects , geckos and small chameleons . Cassia complement the diet.
status
There is no information about the stock. Only a small part of the range is located within protected areas. Deforestation and charcoal production threaten habitat loss. The IUCN classifies the broad-headed silky cuckoo as a type of "warning list" ( near threatened ).
literature
- Robert B. Payne: The Cuckoos. Bird Families of the World. Volume 15 , Oxford University Press, 2005 ISBN 0198502133
Individual evidence
- ↑ Coua verreauxi in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012. Accessed on November 3 2,012th
