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(Redirected from Cuculidae)
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, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae respectively.
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. Cuckoos range in size from the Little Bronze Cuckoo, at 17 g and 15 cm (6 inches), to the Channel-billed Cuckoo, at 630 g (1.4 lbs) and 63 cm (25 inches).
Cuckoo genera differ in the number of primary wing feathers as below.
★ ''Phaenicophaeus'', ''Coccyzus'', ''Piaya'' - 9
★ ''Cuculus'' - 9 or 10
★ ''Pachycoccyx'', ''Clamator levaillantii'', ''Centropus'' - 10
★ ''Microdynamis'', ''Eudynamys'',''Clamator glandarius'' - 11
★ Some coucals - 12
★ ''Scythrops novaehollandiae'' - 13
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 chick has no time to learn this behavior, so it must be an instinct passed on genetically. The mother still feeds the cuckoo chick as if it were her own, the chick's open mouth serving as a sign stimulus for the host to feed it.''Biology'' (4th edition) N.A.Campbell, p.1179 'Fixed Action Patterns' (Benjamin Cummings NY, 1996) ISBN 0-8053-1957-3
Female parasitic-cuckoos seem to specialize and lay eggs that closely resemble the eggs of their chosen host. This has also been aided by natural selection, as some birds are able to distinguish cuckoo eggs from their own, leading to those eggs least like the host's being thrown out of the nest. Parasitic cuckoos are grouped into gentes, with each gens specializing in a particular host. There is some evidence that the gentes are genetically different from one another.
The roadrunners, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis 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. Though on some occasions non-parasitic cuckoos parasitize other species, the parent still helps feed the chick.
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.
Most cuckoos are insectivorous; and in particular are specialised in eating caterpillars, including noxious hairy types avoided by other birds. They will also take a wide range of other insects and animal prey. The lizard-cuckoos of the Caribbean have, in the relative absence of birds of prey, specialised in taking lizards. Larger, ground types also feed variously on snakes, lizards, small rodents, and other birds, which they bludgeon with their strong bills.
Several koels,couas and the Channel-billed Cuckoo feed mainly on fruit,[1] but they are not exclusively frugivores. The parasitic koels and Channel-billed Cuckoo in particular consume mainly fruit when raised by fruigivore hosts such as the Figbird and Pied Currawong. Other species will occasionally take fruit as well.
Cuckoos are often highly secretive and in many cases best known for their wide repetoire of calls. The cuckoo family gets its English and scientific names from the call of the Common Cuckoo, which is also familiar from cuckoo clocks. Some of the names of other species and genera are also derived from their calls, for example the koels of Asia and Australasia. In most cuckoos the calls are distinctive to particular species, and are useful for identification. Several cryptic species have been identified on the basis of their calls.
'Unassigned'
★ Genus ''Dynamopterus'' - fossil (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Caylus, France)
★ Genus ''Cursoricoccyx'' - fossil (Early Miocene of Logan County, USA) - Neomorphinae?
★ Cuculidae gen. et sp. indet. - fossil (Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA: Olson 1985)
★ Genus ''Nannococcyx'' - St Helena Cuckoo (extinct)
==='Subfamily Cuculinae'===
Brood-parasitic cuckoos.
★ Genus ''Eocuculus'' - fossil (Late Eocene of Teller County, USA)
★ Genus ''Clamator'' (4 species)
★ Genus ''Pachycoccyx''
★
★ Thick-billed Cuckoo, ''Pachycoccyx audeberti''
★ Genus ''Cuculus'' - typical cuckoos (some 15 species)
★ 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''
★
★ Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, ''Cacomantis sepulcralis''
★
★ 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'' - bronze cuckoos
★
★ 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'' - true koels
★
★ Black-billed Koel, ''Eudynamys melanorhynchus''
★
★ Asian Koel, ''Eudynamys scolopaceus''
★
★ Australian Koel, ''Eudynamys cyanocephalus''
★
★ Long-tailed Koel, ''Eudynamys taitensis''
★
★ Henderson Island Koel, ''Eudynamis'' cf. ''taitensis'' - prehistoric
★ Genus ''Scythrops''
★
★ Channel-billed Cuckoo, ''Scythrops novaehollandiae''
==='Subfamily Phaenicophaeinae'===
Malkohas and couas.
★ Genus ''Ceuthmochares''
★
★ Yellowbill, ''Ceuthmochares aereus''
★ Genus ''Phaenicophaeus'' - malkohas (12 species)
★ Genus ''Carpococcyx'' - ground-cuckoos
★
★ Sumatran Ground-cuckoo, ''Carpococcyx viridis''
★
★ Bornean Ground-cuckoo, ''Carpococcyx radiatus''
★
★ Coral-billed Ground-cuckoo, ''Carpococcyx renauldi''
★ Genus ''Coua'' - couas (9 living species, 1 recently extinct)
==='Subfamily Coccyzinae'===
American cuckoos.
★ Genus ''Coccyzus'' - including ''Saurothera'' and ''Hyetornis'' (15 species)
★ Genus ''Piaya'' (3 species)
==='Subfamily Neomorphinae'===
Typical ground-cuckoos.
★ Genus ''Neococcyx'' - fossil (Early Oligocene of C North America)
★ Genus ''Tapera'' - Striped Cuckoo
★ Genus ''Dromococcyx''
★
★ Pheasant Cuckoo, ''Dromococcyx phasianellus''
★
★ Pavonine Cuckoo, ''Dromococcyx pavoninus''
★ Genus ''Morococcyx''
★
★ Lesser Ground-cuckoo, ''Morococcyx erythropygus''
★ Genus ''Geococcyx'' - roadrunners (2 species)
★ Genus ''Neomorphus''
★
★ Scaled Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus squamiger''
★
★ Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus geoffroyi''
★
★
★ Bahía Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus geoffroyi maximiliani'' - extinct (mid-20th century)
★
★ Banded Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus radiolosus''
★
★ Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus rufipennis''
★
★ Red-billed Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus pucheranii''
==='Subfamily Centropodinae'===
Coucals.
★ Genus ''Centropus'' (some 30 species)
==='Subfamily Crotophaginae'===
Anis.
★ Genus ''Crotophaga'' - true anis (3 species)
★ Genus ''Guira'' - Guira Cuckoo
1. Corlett R & Ping I (1995) "Frugivory by koels in Hong Kong" '' Memoirs of the Hong Kong Natural History Society '' '20' 221-222
★ 'Feduccia', Alan (1996): ''The Origin and Evolution of Birds''. Yale University Press, New Haven. ISBN 0-300-06460-8
★ 'Olson', Storrs L. (1985): Section VII.C. Cuculidae. ''In:'' Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): ''Avian Biology'' '8': 110-111. Academic Press, New York.
★ Cuckoo sounds from the Neotropics on xeno-canto.org
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, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae respectively.
| Contents |
| Morphology |
| Behaviour |
| Breeding |
| Diet |
| Calls |
| Systematics |
| References |
| External links |
Morphology
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. Cuckoos range in size from the Little Bronze Cuckoo, at 17 g and 15 cm (6 inches), to the Channel-billed Cuckoo, at 630 g (1.4 lbs) and 63 cm (25 inches).
Cuckoo genera differ in the number of primary wing feathers as below.
★ ''Phaenicophaeus'', ''Coccyzus'', ''Piaya'' - 9
★ ''Cuculus'' - 9 or 10
★ ''Pachycoccyx'', ''Clamator levaillantii'', ''Centropus'' - 10
★ ''Microdynamis'', ''Eudynamys'',''Clamator glandarius'' - 11
★ Some coucals - 12
★ ''Scythrops novaehollandiae'' - 13
Behaviour
Breeding
This Reed Warbler is raising the young of a Common Cuckoo, the best-known cuckoo
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 chick has no time to learn this behavior, so it must be an instinct passed on genetically. The mother still feeds the cuckoo chick as if it were her own, the chick's open mouth serving as a sign stimulus for the host to feed it.''Biology'' (4th edition) N.A.Campbell, p.1179 'Fixed Action Patterns' (Benjamin Cummings NY, 1996) ISBN 0-8053-1957-3
Female parasitic-cuckoos seem to specialize and lay eggs that closely resemble the eggs of their chosen host. This has also been aided by natural selection, as some birds are able to distinguish cuckoo eggs from their own, leading to those eggs least like the host's being thrown out of the nest. Parasitic cuckoos are grouped into gentes, with each gens specializing in a particular host. There is some evidence that the gentes are genetically different from one another.
The roadrunners, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis 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. Though on some occasions non-parasitic cuckoos parasitize other species, the parent still helps feed the chick.
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.
Diet
Unlike most cuckoos, the Asian Koel is mostly frugiverous.
Most cuckoos are insectivorous; and in particular are specialised in eating caterpillars, including noxious hairy types avoided by other birds. They will also take a wide range of other insects and animal prey. The lizard-cuckoos of the Caribbean have, in the relative absence of birds of prey, specialised in taking lizards. Larger, ground types also feed variously on snakes, lizards, small rodents, and other birds, which they bludgeon with their strong bills.
Several koels,couas and the Channel-billed Cuckoo feed mainly on fruit,[1] but they are not exclusively frugivores. The parasitic koels and Channel-billed Cuckoo in particular consume mainly fruit when raised by fruigivore hosts such as the Figbird and Pied Currawong. Other species will occasionally take fruit as well.
Calls
The African Cuckoo was identified as a separate species on the basis of its call.
Cuckoos are often highly secretive and in many cases best known for their wide repetoire of calls. The cuckoo family gets its English and scientific names from the call of the Common Cuckoo, which is also familiar from cuckoo clocks. Some of the names of other species and genera are also derived from their calls, for example the koels of Asia and Australasia. In most cuckoos the calls are distinctive to particular species, and are useful for identification. Several cryptic species have been identified on the basis of their calls.
Systematics
'Unassigned'
★ Genus ''Dynamopterus'' - fossil (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Caylus, France)
★ Genus ''Cursoricoccyx'' - fossil (Early Miocene of Logan County, USA) - Neomorphinae?
★ Cuculidae gen. et sp. indet. - fossil (Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA: Olson 1985)
★ Genus ''Nannococcyx'' - St Helena Cuckoo (extinct)
==='Subfamily Cuculinae'===
Brood-parasitic cuckoos.
★ Genus ''Eocuculus'' - fossil (Late Eocene of Teller County, USA)
★ Genus ''Clamator'' (4 species)
★ Genus ''Pachycoccyx''
★
★ Thick-billed Cuckoo, ''Pachycoccyx audeberti''
★ Genus ''Cuculus'' - typical cuckoos (some 15 species)
★ 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''
★
★ Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, ''Cacomantis sepulcralis''
★
★ 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'' - bronze cuckoos
★
★ 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'' - true koels
★
★ Black-billed Koel, ''Eudynamys melanorhynchus''
★
★ Asian Koel, ''Eudynamys scolopaceus''
★
★ Australian Koel, ''Eudynamys cyanocephalus''
★
★ Long-tailed Koel, ''Eudynamys taitensis''
★
★ Henderson Island Koel, ''Eudynamis'' cf. ''taitensis'' - prehistoric
★ Genus ''Scythrops''
★
★ Channel-billed Cuckoo, ''Scythrops novaehollandiae''
==='Subfamily Phaenicophaeinae'===
Malkohas and couas.
★ Genus ''Ceuthmochares''
★
★ Yellowbill, ''Ceuthmochares aereus''
★ Genus ''Phaenicophaeus'' - malkohas (12 species)
★ Genus ''Carpococcyx'' - ground-cuckoos
★
★ Sumatran Ground-cuckoo, ''Carpococcyx viridis''
★
★ Bornean Ground-cuckoo, ''Carpococcyx radiatus''
★
★ Coral-billed Ground-cuckoo, ''Carpococcyx renauldi''
★ Genus ''Coua'' - couas (9 living species, 1 recently extinct)
==='Subfamily Coccyzinae'===
American cuckoos.
★ Genus ''Coccyzus'' - including ''Saurothera'' and ''Hyetornis'' (15 species)
★ Genus ''Piaya'' (3 species)
==='Subfamily Neomorphinae'===
Typical ground-cuckoos.
★ Genus ''Neococcyx'' - fossil (Early Oligocene of C North America)
★ Genus ''Tapera'' - Striped Cuckoo
★ Genus ''Dromococcyx''
★
★ Pheasant Cuckoo, ''Dromococcyx phasianellus''
★
★ Pavonine Cuckoo, ''Dromococcyx pavoninus''
★ Genus ''Morococcyx''
★
★ Lesser Ground-cuckoo, ''Morococcyx erythropygus''
★ Genus ''Geococcyx'' - roadrunners (2 species)
★ Genus ''Neomorphus''
★
★ Scaled Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus squamiger''
★
★ Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus geoffroyi''
★
★
★ Bahía Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus geoffroyi maximiliani'' - extinct (mid-20th century)
★
★ Banded Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus radiolosus''
★
★ Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus rufipennis''
★
★ Red-billed Ground-cuckoo, ''Neomorphus pucheranii''
==='Subfamily Centropodinae'===
Coucals.
★ Genus ''Centropus'' (some 30 species)
==='Subfamily Crotophaginae'===
Anis.
★ Genus ''Crotophaga'' - true anis (3 species)
★ Genus ''Guira'' - Guira Cuckoo
References
1. Corlett R & Ping I (1995) "Frugivory by koels in Hong Kong" '' Memoirs of the Hong Kong Natural History Society '' '20' 221-222
★ 'Feduccia', Alan (1996): ''The Origin and Evolution of Birds''. Yale University Press, New Haven. ISBN 0-300-06460-8
★ 'Olson', Storrs L. (1985): Section VII.C. Cuculidae. ''In:'' Farner, D.S.; King, J.R. & Parkes, Kenneth C. (eds.): ''Avian Biology'' '8': 110-111. Academic Press, New York.
External links
★ Cuckoo sounds from the Neotropics on xeno-canto.org
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