| Cuckoos | ||||||||||
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| Great Spotted Cuckoo | ||||||||||
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The Cuculiformes or cuckoos are an order of near passerine birds, many (but not all) of which are brood parasites in the nests of birds of other species.
The best known example is the Common Cuckoo. The baby which hatches from the egg laid in another species' nest methodically evicts all other occupants of the nest.
The order also includes the roadrunners, the anis, the coucals, and the unique Hoatzin[?], which was previously classified in the Galliformes.
The turacos were previously classed as cuckoos, but are better considered as a separate order, Musophagiformes.
These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Most occur in forests, but some are birds of more open country. Most are insect eaters, with hairy caterpillars, which are distasteful to many birds, being a speciality.
The group gets its English and scientific names from the call of the Common Cuckoo, which is also familar from cuckoo clocks[?].
Species are:
Genus Cucullus Typical cuckoos
- Common Cuckoo Cucullus 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
- 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 Clamator
- Great Spotted Cuckoo[?] Clamator glandarius
- Pied Cuckoo, Clamator jacobinus
- Levaillant's Cuckoo, Clamator levaillantii
- Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Clamator coromandus
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
Genus Geococcyx Roadrunners
- Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californiana
- Lesser Roadrunner, Geococcyx velox
Genus Coua Couas[?]
- Running Coua, Coua cursor
- Giant Coua, Coua gigas
- 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
Genus Pachycoccyx
- Thick-billed Cuckoo, Pachycoccyx audeberti
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
- 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 Surniculusdrongo-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
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 Coccyzus
- 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
Genus Saurothera, lizard cuckoos
- Great Lizard-Cuckoo Saurothera merlini
- Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo, Saurothera vieilloti
- Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo, Saurothera vetula
- Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo, Saurothera longirostris
Genus Hyetornis
- Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo, Hyetornis pluvialis
- Bay-breasted Cuckoo, Hyetornis rufigularis
Genus Piaya
- Squirrel Cuckoo, Piaya cayana
- Black-bellied Cuckoo, Piaya melanogaster
- Little Cuckoo, Piaya minuta
Genus Crotophaga, the anis
- Greater Ani, Crotophaga major
- Smooth-billed Ani, Crotophaga ani
- Groove-billed Ani, Crotophaga sulcirostris
Genus Guira
- Guira Cuckoo, Guira guira
Genus Tapera
- Striped Cuckoo, Tapera naevia
Genus Dromococcyx
- Pheasant Cuckoo, Dromococcyx phasianellus
- Pavonine Cuckoo, Dromococcyx pavoninus
Genus Morococcyx
- Lesser Ground-Cuckoo, Morococcyx erythropygus
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