Emerald cuckoo

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Emerald cuckoo
African emerald cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) in tree.jpg

Emerald Cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx cupreus )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Cuckoo birds (Cuculiformes)
Family : Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Genre : Real gold cuckoos ( Chrysococcyx )
Type : Emerald cuckoo
Scientific name
Chrysococcyx cupreus
( Shaw , 1792)

The emerald cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx cupreus ) is an African species of bird from the genus of the real gold cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx ) in the cuckoo family (Cuculidae). Like all cuckoos, it is an obligatory brood parasite . Its plumage is particularly striking: the emerald cuckoo is the only type of cuckoo in which the male has a bright yellow underside and a green upper side.

There are no population size estimates available, however, due to the large distribution area and frequency, the IUCN does not assume any endangerment of the species .

features

The emerald cuckoo reaches a body length between 20 and 23 centimeters, the males weigh an average of 38.3 grams, the females an average of 37.4 grams.

The name emerald cuckoo refers to the striking green, shiny plumage of the males, which have a yellow breast. The sexual dimorphism is very pronounced: the much less conspicuous female has a white and shiny green banded breast, the upper side is banded brown and green. The tail feathers of the female are also noticeably shorter than that of the male. Adult birds have a dark brown iris, the orbital ring is blue-green in the males, but bright blue in the females.

Despite the conspicuous plumage, the males are difficult to spot in the wild. They move unobtrusively in the dense foliage. Emerald cuckoos are more conspicuous because of their frequent calls. The typical call is a loud chi-wu chu chi , also translated by European settlers as a hel-lo geor-gie or hel-lo ju-ly . The call has a length of 1.5 to 2 seconds and is repeated every two to three seconds. The first and last syllables are each one tone higher than the middle two syllables. The calls can be heard almost exclusively during the breeding season.

The male is unmistakable due to its striking plumage. However, the females and juveniles can be confused with the females and juveniles of the Klaas cuckoo . Both the females and the young birds lack the bright spot behind the eyes, which is characteristic of the Klaaskuckuck. They are also more clogged on the underside of the body than is the case with the Klaaskuckuck.

distribution

The emerald cuckoo is widespread in Africa. The distribution area extends as a broad band from the west coast of Africa in Guinea to Ethiopia and also includes Central Africa , Tanzania , Mozambique and South Africa . The emerald cuckoo is a resident bird in most of its range. In West Africa they also migrate northwards into the densely tree-lined savannah zone during the rainy season. They are thus expanding their range in a northerly direction by 500 kilometers. In southern Africa they can also be found in Zambia, Malawi and the coastal region of the Republic of South Africa during the rainy season.

Way of life

Stuffed museum specimen

Emerald cuckoos live primarily in evergreen forests and gallery forests , but are also sighted in dry forests . It mostly searches for food in the crown area, with hairy caterpillars being its preferred food . Most of its diet is made up of insects , although fruits, seeds and eggs are also eaten.

Like other cuckoos, they are breeding parasites . They prefer to lay their eggs in the nests of weaver birds , snappers , nectar birds , bulbüls , mouse birds and warblers as well as in South Africa in the nests of the green-mantled arched wing . Despite the brood parasitism, in which the host parents take over the rearing of the young birds, male emerald cuckoos have been observed to feed their young. It is not known whether this happens instinctively or if it is an adaptation to the poor living conditions of the young bird. NB Davies thinks it is possible that this behavior is a misguided courtship behavior of the male emerald cuckoo. Courting males of the emerald cuckoo offer the courted female caterpillars as food.

literature

  • Johannes Erritzoe, Clive F. Mann, Frederik Brammer, Richard A. Fuller: Cuckoos of the World (Helm Identification Guides) . Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd, London 2012. ISBN 978-071-366-034-0 .
  • Paul A. Johnsgard: The Avian Brood Parasites - Deception at the Nest . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1997, ISBN 0-19-511042-0 .
  • G. Mauersberger: The large colored encyclopedia Urania animal kingdom - birds . Urania-Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-332-01177-4 .
  • RE Moreau and JP Chapin: The African Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus . In: The Auk . Vol . 68, No. 2 , 1951, p. 174-189 .
  • MSL Mills: A record of brood parasitism of Barratt's Warbler Bradypterus barratti by African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus . In: Bull ABC . Vol.17, no. 2 , 2010, p. 212 .
  • JC Lorenzana, SG Sealy: Adult Brood Parasites Feeding Nestlings and Fledglings of Their Own Species: A Review . In: Journal of Field Ornithology . Vol . 69, No. 3 , 1998, p. 364-357 .
  • I. Sinclair, P. Hockey, W. Tarboton: Birds of Southern Africa . Random House Struik, Cape Town 2002, ISBN 978-1-86872-721-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 354.
  2. ↑ Chrysococcyx cupreus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2012. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2012 .. Retrieved on 18 August 2012
  3. ↑ a b Sinclair, Hockey, Tarboton p. 236
  4. ↑ a b c Mauersberger p. 252
  5. ↑ Erhitzøe, Mann, Brammer, Fuller: Cuckoos of the World . P. 355.
  6. ^ RE Moreau and JP Chapin p. 174
  7. ↑ Erritzoe et al. P. 356
  8. ↑ MSL Mills p. 212
  9. ↑ JC Lorenzana, SG Sealy p. 364
  10. ↑ NB Davies: Cuckoos, Cowbirds and Other Cheats . T & AD Poyser, London 2000, ISBN 0-85661-135-2 . P. 88

Web links

Commons : Emerald Cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx cupreus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files