Coquerel's Coua

Coua coquereli

Long-tailed, long-legged understory bird. Rufous belly and all-blue bare facial skin. Found in dry deciduous forest of western and northern Madagascar. Rather shy, and quickly walks away from any disturbance. Most common vocalization is a loud “kwaaa” followed by 3–4 lower “kwe” notes. Very similar to Giant Coua, but much smaller, and without pink facial skin. Similar to Red-capped Coua, but has a shorter tail and legs and a rufous belly. 

Identification

Coquerel's coua is approximately 40 cm (16 in) in length and has a large blue patch of bare skin around the eye, a characteristic of the Coua genus that is similar to African turacos. The plumage is silky, the crown is black, the upper parts and tail are light brown or greyish-brown, and the lower breast and belly is suffused with red. The iris is red and the beak and legs are slaty grey. As a member of the cuckoo family, it has a reversible third toe and resembles the coucal in its method of scrambling through tangled bushes and lianas while searching for food. Observations indicate that it can climb about 10 m (30 ft) above the ground.

Taxonomy

Genus: Coua; Family: Cuculidae; Order: Cuculiformes.

Scientific name
Coua coquereli
Authority
Grandidier, A, 1867
Order
Cuculiformes
Family
Cuculidae
Genus
Coua

Range and habitat

Coquerel's coua is endemic to Madagascar where it lives in the dry deciduous forest and gallery forest in the west of the island. It shares this habitat with the giant coua (Coua gigas). In this area, the wet season is from December to February, and this is followed by a long dry season.

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

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