Sumatran running cuckoo

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Sumatran running cuckoo
Systematics
Order : Cuckoo birds (Cuculiformes)
Family : Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Subfamily : Great spotted cuckoo (Phaenicophaeinae)
Genre : Walking cuckoo ( Carpococcyx )
Type : Sumatran running cuckoo
Scientific name
Carpococcyx viridis
Salvadori , 1879

The Sumatran running cuckoo ( Carpococcyx viridis ) is a very rare species of bird from the genus of the running cuckoo ( Carpococcyx ). For a long time it was considered a subspecies of the Borneo running cuckoo ( Carpococcyx radiceus ), but since 1995 it has been recognized as an independent species.

features

The Sumatran running cuckoo reaches a length of 55 cm. It is a medium-sized terrestrial cuckoo . The wings and tail are rounded. The legs and beak are long and strong. The forehead is black in the adult birds. Towards the middle of the head the color gradually turns black-green and at the back of the head it is bottle green. The neck, nape of the neck, coat, and upper back are dull green. The lower back and rump are dull chestnut brown with broad greenish-brown banding. The skin of the face is azure green above and in front of the eyes, pale lavender behind the eyes and light indigo blue on the cheeks. The wings are shiny greenish-black on the wings. Depending on the incidence of light, cobalt-colored blurs can be seen. The arm wings and the wing covers are shiny bottle green. The black color of the chin extends behind the skin of the face. Throat and upper chest are dull, light gray. The rest of the underside is cinnamon-leather-colored, reddish-brown on the flanks and more dense brownish-green banded on the chest. The flanks and the lower abdomen are banded brown. The graduated, long tail is shiny, dull, oil-green and can appear gray-black depending on the incidence of light. The juvenile birds the head is brownish. The top is bright reddish-maroon with brown banding. The lower abdomen and rump are reddish-buff with brown banding. The chin area and upper chest are more spotted than banded. The wing feathers are monochrome reddish-brown with a greenish tint and a maroon border. Some of the elytra are faded and oil-green.

The iris of the adult birds is blood red to reddish-brown, of the juvenile birds it is dark gray. The skin of the face is green above the eyes and reins, light blue on the cheeks and light wine red behind the eyes. The facial skin is reduced in juvenile birds. The beak of the adult birds is light green and bluish at the base. The lower bill is light green. In juvenile birds, the bill is black, greenish-brown, and the lower bill is white. The feet of the adult birds are greenish to gray-green, of the juvenile birds dark gray.

Distribution area

The distribution area extends to southwest Sumatra . Evidence is available from Gunung Singgalan , Air Njuruk (Pasemah), Muara Sako , the highlands of Padang , Rimbo Pengadang ( Bengkulu ), Way Titias , from the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in the Lampung Province, from the game reserves Bukit Rimbang and Bukit Baling and from the Kerinci Seblat National Park .

habitat

The habitat of the Sumatran running cuckoo is limited to hillside forests at altitudes between 300 and 1400 m. It includes evergreen primary rainforest on sloping slopes as well as undergrowth with ferns, palms, pandanus and rattan from around 500 m height.

Way of life

Little is known about his way of life. It is a ground dweller and feeds on insects. A young bird was observed in September.

Status and exposure

The Sumatran running cuckoo was discovered in July 1878 by Odoardo Beccari at the Gunung Singgalang volcano in eastern Sumatra. After a last sighting in 1916, it was considered lost for a long time, until in 1997 a specimen was captured alive, photographed and released again in the Buki Barisan Selatan National Park in the Lampung province. Since then, the species has been detected in the Bukit Rimbang-Bukit Baling Game Reserve, in the Kerinci Seblat National Park, above Tapian and near Way Titias. In December 2016, a specimen was photographed with the help of a camera trap in Batang Gadis National Park.

Clearance of lowland dry forests has reached dramatic proportions in Sumatra and illegal logging is widespread in the region. BirdLife International classifies the Sumatran running cuckoo in the “ critically endangered ” category and estimates the population at 50 to 250 specimens.

literature

  • Johannes Erritzøe , Clive F. Mann, Frederik Brammer, Richard A. Fuller: Cuckoos of the World (Helm Identification Guides) . Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd, 2012. ISBN 978-071-366-034-0 . Pp. 206-207
  • Zetra, B .; Rafiastanto, A .; Rombang, WM; Trainor, CR: Rediscovery of the critically endangered Sumatran Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx viridis . In: Forktail 18 (2002): S 63-65. pdf online
  • Collar, NJ and Long, AJ: Taxonomy and names of Carpococcyx cuckoos from the Greater Sundas (1995). In: Forktail 11: p. 135-149. pdf online

Web links