Green Malkoha
Ceuthmochares australis
Odd, dark, green-and-gray cuckoo with a bright yellow bill. Found in thick habitats including forest, forest edge, and thickets. Skulks in the thickest parts of the mid-story, especially preferring vine tangles. Call starts with a hesitant series of high “kik” notes, eventually followed by a long, accelerating trill. Dark coloration and yellow bill are distinctive. Range does not overlap with the similar Blue Malkoha.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ceuthmochares australis
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1873
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Ceuthmochares
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Short-tailed Emerald
Chlorostilbon poortmani
Small, compact hummingbird found in extreme western Venezuela and central Colombia. Male is entirely glittering emerald with a dark tail. Female is greenish above with a grayer throat, a dark cheek, and a thin white eyeline. Occurs in various wooded habitats and edges, often feeding at flower patches at low or middle levels. Typically found at lower elevations than the very similar Narrow-tailed Emerald.
Pacific Antwren
Myrmotherula pacifica
A small, short-tailed antwren found from western Panama to Ecuador. Male is entirely streaked black and white, with two white wingbars. Female is similarly streaky, but has an orangey head. Occurs in lowlands and foothills, up to around 1,300 m. Look for pairs in the lower levels of forest edge and second growth.
Tongan Megapode
Megapodius pritchardii
A plump, mostly ground-dwelling bird with long yellowish legs and a dark gray body with slightly browner wash on the wings and back. Head mostly dark gray, with bright orange beak and whitish crest. Good views may show blood-red bare skin around the eye and throat. Found in mature woodland with open understory. Nests on crater lake islands. Resident, with no record of vagrancy. Very vocal, most frequently heard in groups giving chorus of loud piping whistles and shrill cries. Calls are usually a staccato one-note whistle. Unmistakable, as it is the only scrubfowl in its range.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.