Cuckoo

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

For other uses, see Cuckoo (disambiguation).

Cuckoos

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae Vigors, 1825

Genera

See text.

The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos (family Musophagidae, sometimes treated as a separate order, Musophagiformes). Some zoologists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, though it is now usually placed in an order of its own, Opisthocomiformes. The taxonomy of this enigmatic species, however, remains in some dispute.

The cuckoo family, in addition to those species named as such, also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the coucals.

Cuckoos are birds of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Most occur in forests, but some prefer more open country. Most are insect eaters, with hairy caterpillars, which are avoided by many birds, being a speciality.

Many of the Old World species and some New World species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds. The best-known example is the European Common Cuckoo. The cuckoo egg hatches earlier than the host's, and the cuckoo chick grows faster; in most cases the chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species.

The roadrunners, anis and coucals all build their own nests, as do most American cuckoos. Most of these species nest in trees or bushes, but the coucals lay their eggs in nests on the ground or in low shrubs. These large tropical cuckoos are capable of taking vertebrate prey such as lizards.

The arboreal types are insectivorous; the larger, ground types also feed variously on snakes, lizards, small rodents, and other birds, which they bludgeon with their strong bills.

Female parasitic-cuckoos seem to specialize and lay eggs that closely resemble the eggs of their chosen host. Parasitic cuckoos are grouped into gentes, with each gente specializing in a particular host. There is some evidence that the gentes are genetically different from one another.

Non-parasitic cuckoos, like most other non-passerines, lay white eggs, but many of the parasitic species lay coloured eggs to match those of their passerine hosts.

Cuckoo genera differ in the number of primary wing feathers as below.

Phaenicophaeus, Coccyzus, Piaya - 9
Cuculus - 9 or 10
Hierococcyx,Pachycoccyx,Clamator levaillantii, Centropus - 10
Microdynamis, Eudynamys,Clamator glandarius - 11
Some coucals - 12
Scythrops novaehollandiae - 13

The cuckoo family gets its English and scientific names from the call of the Common Cuckoo, which is also familiar from cuckoo clocks.

[edit] Species list

Subfamily Cuculinae. Brood parasitic cuckoos.
- Genus Clamator
  - Great Spotted Cuckoo, Clamator glandarius
  - Pied Cuckoo, Clamator jacobinus
  - Levaillant's Cuckoo, Clamator levaillantii
  - Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Clamator coromandus
- Genus Pachycoccyx
  - Thick-billed Cuckoo, Pachycoccyx audeberti
- Genus Cuculus. Typical cuckoos
  - Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus
  - Sulawesi Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus crassirostris
  - Large Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus sparverioides
  - Common Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus varius
  - Moustached Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus vagans
  - Hodgson's Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus fugax (British: Horsfield's Hawk-cuckoo)
  - Philippine Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus pectoralis
  - Red-chested Cuckoo, Cuculus solitarius
  - Black Cuckoo, Cuculus clamosus
  - Indian Cuckoo, Cuculus micropterus
  - African Cuckoo, Cuculus gularis
  - Oriental Cuckoo, Cuculus saturatus
  - Horsfield's Cuckoo, Cuculus horsfieldi
  - Lesser Cuckoo, Cuculus poliocephalus
  - Madagascar Cuckoo, Cuculus rochii
  - Pallid Cuckoo, Cuculus pallidus
- Genus Cercococcyx. long-tailed cuckoos
  - Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Cercococcyx mechowi
  - Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Cercococcyx olivinus
  - Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Cercococcyx montanus
- Genus Cacomantis
  - Banded Bay Cuckoo, Cacomantis sonneratii
  - Plaintive Cuckoo, Cacomantis merulinus
  - Grey-bellied Cuckoo, Cacomantis passerinus
  - Brush Cuckoo, Cacomantis variolosus
  - Moluccan Cuckoo, Cacomantis heinrichi
  - Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, Cacomantis castaneiventris
  - Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Cacomantis flabelliformis
- Genus Chrysococcyx
  - Black-eared Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx osculans
  - Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx basalis
  - Shining Bronze Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx lucidus
  - Rufous-throated Bronze Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx ruficollis
  - White-eared Bronze Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx meyeri
  - Little Bronze Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx minutillus
  - Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx maculatus
  - Violet Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
  - Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx flavigularis
  - Klaas' Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx klaas
  - African Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus
  - Dideric Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx caprius
- Genus Rhamphomantis
  - Long-billed Cuckoo, Rhamphomantis megarhynchus
- Genus Surniculus drongo-cuckoos
  - Asian Drongo-cuckoo, Surniculus lugubris
  - Philippine Drongo-cuckoo, Surniculus velutinus
- Genus Caliechthrus
  - White-crowned Koel, Caliechthrus leucolophus
- Genus Microdynamis
  - Dwarf Koel, Microdynamis parva
- Genus Eudynamys
  - Black-billed Koel, Eudynamys melanorhyncha
  - Asian Koel, Eudynamys scolopacea
  - Australian Koel, Eudynamys cyanocephala
  - Long-tailed Koel, Eudynamys taitensis
- Genus Scythrops
  - Channel-billed Cuckoo, Scythrops novaehollandiae
Subfamily Phaenicophaeinae. Malkohas and couas.
- Genus Ceuthmochares
  - Yellowbill, Ceuthmochares aereus
- Genus Phaenicophaeus. malkohas
  - Black-bellied Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus diardi
  - Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus sumatranus
  - Blue-faced Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
  - Green-billed Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus tristis
  - Sirkeer Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii
  - Raffles' Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus
  - Red-billed Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus javanicus
  - Yellow-billed Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchus
  - Chestnut-breasted Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus curvirostris
  - Red-faced Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus
  - Red-crested Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus superciliosus
  - Scale-feathered Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus cumingi
- Genus Carpococcyx. ground-cuckoos
  - Sumatran Ground Cuckoo, Carpococcyx viridis
  - Bornean Ground Cuckoo, Carpococcyx radiatus
  - Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo, Carpococcyx renauldi
- Genus Coua. Couas
  - Running Coua, Coua cursor
  - Giant Coua, Coua gigas
  - Delalande's Coua, Coua delalandei (extinct)
  - Coquerel's Coua, Coua coquereli
  - Red-breasted Coua, Coua serriana
  - Red-fronted Coua, Coua reynaudii
  - Red-capped Coua, Coua ruficeps
  - Crested Coua, Coua cristata
  - Verreaux's Coua, Coua verreauxi
  - Blue Coua, Coua caerulea
Subfamily Centropodinae. Coucals.
- Genus Centropus.
  Coucals
  - Senegal Coucal, Centropus senegalensis
  - Bay Coucal, Centropus celebensis
  - Rufous Coucal, Centropus unirufus
  - Black-faced Coucal, Centropus melanops
  - Sunda Coucal, Centropus nigrorufus
  - Buff-headed Coucal, Centropus milo
  - Goliath Coucal, Centropus goliath
  - Violaceous Coucal, Centropus violaceus
  - Greater Black Coucal, Centropus menbeki
  - Pied Coucal, Centropus ateralbus
  - Pheasant Coucal, Centropus phasianinus
  - Kai Coucal, Centropus spilopterus
  - Lesser Black Coucal, Centropus bernsteini
  - Biak Coucal, Centropus chalybeus
  - Short-toed Coucal, Centropus rectunguis
  - Black-hooded Coucal, Centropus steerii
  - Greater Coucal, Centropus sinensis
  - Andaman Coucal, Centropus andamanensis
  - Philippine Coucal, Centropus viridis
  - Madagascar Coucal, Centropus toulou
  - Black Coucal, Centropus grillii
  - Green-billed Coucal, Centropus chlororhynchus
  - Lesser Coucal, Centropus bengalensis
  - Black-throated Coucal, Centropus leucogaster
  - Gabon Coucal, Centropus anselli
  - Blue-headed Coucal, Centropus monachus
  - Coppery-tailed Coucal, Centropus cupreicaudus
  - White-browed Coucal, Centropus superciliosus
===Subfamily Coccyzinae===. American cuckoos.
- Genus Coccyzus (The genera Saurothera and Hyetornis were lumped by the
  AOU in 2006)
  - Dwarf Cuckoo, Coccyzus pumilus
  - Ash-colored Cuckoo, Coccyzus cinereus
  - Black-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus
  - Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus
  - Pearly-breasted Cuckoo, Coccyzus euleri
  - Mangrove Cuckoo Coccyzus minor
  - Cocos Island Cuckoo, Coccyzus ferrugineus
  - Dark-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus melacoryphus
  - Gray-capped Cuckoo, Coccyzus lansbergi
  - Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo, Coccyzus pluvialis
  - Bay-breasted Cuckoo, Coccyzus rufigularis
  - Great Lizard Cuckoo, Coccyzus merlini
  - Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo, Coccyzus vieilloti
  - Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo, Coccyzus vetula
  - Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo, Coccyzus longirostris
- Genus Piaya
  - Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana
  - Black-bellied Cuckoo, Piaya melanogaster
  - Little Cuckoo, Piaya minuta
===Subfamily Crotophaginae===. Anis.
- Genus Crotophaga. Anis
  - Greater Ani, Crotophaga major
  - Smooth-billed Ani, Crotophaga ani
  - Groove-billed Ani, Crotophaga sulcirostris
- Genus Guira
  - Guira Cuckoo, Guira guira
Subfamily Neomorphinae. Ground cuckoos.
- Genus Tapera
  - Striped Cuckoo, Tapera naevia
- Genus Dromococcyx
  - Pheasant Cuckoo, Dromococcyx phasianellus
  - Pavonine Cuckoo, Dromococcyx pavoninus
- Genus Morococcyx
  - Lesser Ground Cuckoo, Morococcyx erythropygus
- Genus Geococcyx.
  Roadrunners
  - Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californiana
  - Lesser Roadrunner, Geococcyx velox
- Genus Neomorphus
  - Scaled Ground Cuckoo, Neomorphus squamiger
  - Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Neomorphus geoffroyi
  - Banded Ground Cuckoo, Neomorphus radiolosus
  - Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo, Neomorphus rufipennis
  - Red-billed Ground Cuckoo, Neomorphus pucheranii

[edit] References

Alan Feduccia The Origin and Evolution of Birds ISBN 0-300-06460-8

[edit] External links

Cuckoo videos on the Internet Bird Collection

Category: Cuculidae