Java cuckoo
| Java cuckoo | ||||||||||||
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Java cuckoo ( Centropus nigrorufus ) in eastern Java |
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| Centropus nigrorufus | ||||||||||||
| ( Cuvier , 1817) |
The Java cuckoo ( Centropus nigrorufus ) belongs to the order of the cuckoo birds (Cuculiformes) and to the family of the cuckoos (Cuculidae).
The Java cuckoo occurs exclusively on Java and is a resident bird. Like many species of cuckoo, it is not an obligatory brood parasite and raises its offspring itself.
The Java cuckoo has disappeared in parts of its range. Its stock situation is indicated with Vu (= vulnerable - endangered ).
features
Java cuckoos reach a body length of 46 centimeters. The tail is around 20 centimeters in the males and 25 centimeters in the females. Compared to their body size, they are comparatively long-tailed. The strong beak is four centimeters.
There is no gender dimorphism. The body plumage is black, as is the head and neck. The wing feathers and the small wing coverts are bright red-brown on the outer vane.
The iris is red in both sexes, the beak, legs and feet are black.
There is a possibility of confusion with the closely related hedge cuckoo , but this does not have any black on the wings. The Bengal Cuckoo is smaller and also brown on the lower back and rump.
Distribution area and habitat
The Java cuckoo is believed to be found exclusively in Java. A suspected occurrence in Sumatra is based on a single traded bird hide of dubious ancestry and unconfirmed sightings. On Java the distribution area is disjoint. Most of the observations come from the northwest of the island, a few from the south.
The habitat are mangroves and wetlands along the coast. It is also found in open areas with tall grass near mangroves. Presumably, however, this is a secondary habitat that is of no importance for the continued existence of the species. During the rainy season it can also be found along flooded forest edges and sugar cane plantations.
Way of life
The Java cuckoo is believed to be omnivorous. It eats short-feeler terrors, caterpillars, beetles, large moths, butterfly pupae, dragonflies, cicadas and other large beaked beetles .
The reproductive behavior of the Java cuckoo has not yet been conclusively investigated. Eggs were found on Java in the period January to March and June. The clutch comprises between one and three eggs. Further data on the rearing of the young birds are not known.
Stock situation
Much of Java's wetlands has been turned into rice fields, ponds for growing shrimp, and industrial areas. The Java cuckoo has lost parts of its habitat and has accordingly disappeared in regions where it was originally native.
literature
- Johannes Erhitzøe, Clive F. Mann, Frederik P. Brammer, Richard A. Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . Christopher Helm, London 2012, ISBN 978-0-7136-6034-0 .
Web links
- Centropus nigrorufus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2016.