Moluccan Brush Cuckoo
Cacomantis aeruginosus
A fairly large cuckoo with uniformly dark gray upperparts, head, and throat, with deep chestnut below. Juvenile is brown and heavily barred all over. Confined to forested hills in the Moluccas. Distinguished from Brush Cuckoo by its preference for dense habitats, and by the extension of the chestnut color to the chest. Song is also faster than Brush Cuckoo’s. Piping whistles include “wit-wit-wit-wit…” uttered at relatively level pitch, and piping notes, “pip-pip-pip-pip-pip-pipPIPPIPPIPPIPIPIPPIPIPIPIP…”, getting louder and faster by the end.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cacomantis aeruginosus
- Authority
- Salvadori, 1878
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Cacomantis
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-hooded Babbler
Gampsorhynchus rufulus
The large head, long tail, and hooked bill make this babbler resemble a shrike that had its head dipped into white paint. Only the adult has the full white head; younger birds have an orange crown and a white throat. Forages in lowland and foothill forests, usually in dense stands of bamboo. Travels in large, loud flocks, often with Rufous-headed Parrotbills and scimitar-babblers.
Gray-naped Antpitta
Grallaria griseonucha
Plump, medium-sized bird with long legs, short bill, and very short tail: the typical antpitta shape. Mostly rufous overall with gray nape and lores. Sexes similar. Solitary and very shy and difficult to see, little known about its habits. Mostly near streams, on or close to ground in forest edges, tree falls, elfin forest, and mossy cloud forest. Easy to find by voice, a series of low whistled notes “wü, wü-wü-wü…wüwü.” Endemic to the Andes of Venezuela.
Gray-hooded Parakeet
Psilopsiagon aymara
Small, gregarious parakeet of the high Andes from central Argentina to Lake Titicaca. Tends to forage in small groups in shorter shrubs and bushes, including Polylepis. Often near roadsides, settlements and roadsides. Prefers hillsides, and is absent from most flat areas of the altiplano. From Mountain Parakeet by white throat, gray cap, and longer tail. Calls a quiet, three part “squi-da-dit” given quickly and often in flight.
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