Magnificent cuckoo
| Magnificent cuckoo | ||||||||||
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Female magnificent cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx maculatus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Chrysococcyx maculatus | ||||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1788) |
The magnificent cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx maculatus ) is a Southeast Asian species of cuckoo.
features
The magnificent cuckoo is a small cuckoo that can grow up to 18 cm. The gender dimorphism is very pronounced. The male is shiny green on the upper side, the underside is white with shiny green and black sparrowth. The female, on the other hand, has a red-brown head plumage , the upper side of the wings is colored green-brown shiny. The underside is white with brown sparrows.
distribution
The magnificent cuckoo lives in the Orientalis . It can be found all year round in Vietnam , Laos and the Chinese province of Yunnan . During the breeding season, the magnificent cuckoo occurs along the Himalayas , in northern Myanmar , and as far as the Chinese province of Sichuan . Wintering areas are located on the rest of the rear Indian peninsula and in southern India in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala . The bird is also rarely seen in the north of Sumatra . Estimates of the population size of the magnificent cuckoo are not available - the IUCN does not, however, assume any risk due to the large distribution area. The magnificent cuckoo is rarely observed, but this can be attributed to the choice of habitat - dense forests - in which sightings of this species are made difficult by the color of the plumage.
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Way of life
During the breeding season, magnificent cuckoos are found mainly in the crown area of tropical and subtropical rainforests . Outside the breeding season they also colonize anthropogenically created habitats such as gardens and plantations . Like all other species of the genus Chrysococcyx, they are breeding parasites . The main host birds are nectar birds and warblers . The food consists of insects , which are often caught in flight.
Etymology and history of research
Johann Friedrich Gmelin described the magnificent cuckoo under the protonym Trogon maculatus . Only later was it added to the genus Chrysococcyx .
The name Chrysococcyx is composed of the Greek words khrusos for gold and kokkux for cuckoo . The Latin epithet »maculatus« stands for »speckled, blotchy«.
literature
- Johannes Erritzøe , Clive F. Mann, Frederik Brammer, Richard A. Fuller: Cuckoos of the World (Helm Identification Guides) . Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd, London 2012. ISBN 978-0-7136-6034-0 .
- James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
- Johann Friedrich Gmelin: Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis . tape 1 , no. 1 . : Impensis Georg. Emanuel. Beer, Leipzig 1788 ( online [accessed September 22, 2012]).
Web links
- Chrysococcyx maculatus in the Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN 2012.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Asian Emerald Cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx maculatus ) . Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Asian Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx maculatus) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Magnificent cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx maculatus ) at Avibase; Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- Chrysococcyx maculatus in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Asian Emerald Cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx maculatus )