Banded Ground-Cuckoo
Neomorphus radiolosus
Impressively large, roadrunner-like bird of wet foothill rainforest. It’s one of the rarest and most sought-after birds of northwestern Ecuador and western Colombia. Note large size, long tail, chestnut back, and black-and-white scaled underparts. Terrestrial; most likely to be encountered following large swarms of army ants. Sometimes snaps its bill very loudly. Song is a series of soft, very low-pitched, rising notes given at regular intervals.
Identification
The banded ground cuckoo is about 46 cm (18 in) long, about half of which is its tail, and weighs about 400 g (14 oz). Adults have a heavy decurved bill with a black to dusky maxilla and a grayish mandible tipped with blue-gray. Males and females have the same plumage. Adults have a black forehead and crown and a shaggy, glossy, blue-black, erectile crest. Their face is dark with bare blue skin behind the eye. Their hindneck is glossy blue-black and their upper back black with white edges giving a scaly appearance. Their lower back and rump are rich maroon-chestnut and their uppertail coverts metallic green. Their tail is black with a purple and green gloss on the upper side. Their wings have black outer primaries and purplish-red and black inner primaries and secondaries. Their underparts except the undertail coverts are black with the same scaly appearance as the lower back; the coverts are plain black. Juveniles' scaling is mostly ochraceous with some white on the breast and their crest is blackish without blue.
Taxonomy
The banded ground cuckoo is monotypic. It shares genus Neomorphus with three or four other species depending on the chosen taxonomic system.
- Scientific name
- Neomorphus radiolosus
- Authority
- Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1878
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Neomorphus
Range and habitat
The banded ground cuckoo is found in the Chocó Ecoregion on the Pacific slope of southern Colombia and far northern Ecuador. It is "rare and localized, and occurs at very low density throughout its distribution." It inhabits wet to very wet tropical primary forest. In elevation it mostly ranges between 700 and 1,200 m (2,300 and 3,900 ft) though it has been observed both higher and lower.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The banded ground cuckoo is a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>The banded ground cuckoo is almost exclusively terrestrial, though it may fly into a tree to escape a predator or to roost. It mostly walks or runs on the forest floor and makes hops to catch prey.<p>The banded ground cuckoo forages mostly by sprinting along the forest floor with abrupt stops to scan for and capture prey. It also hops onto low branches to pluck prey from vegetation. Its diet is mostly insects. It also includes significant amounts of other arthropods; small vertebrates like lizards, amphibians, and small birds; and sometimes fallen fruits. It often follows army ant swarms with other ant-following birds to catch prey fleeing from the ants. It has also been observed following peccary herds, apparently for the same purpose. <p>The banded ground cuckoo's breeding season is not fully known but appears to include at least March to June. Only two nests have been fully described. They were made mostly of fern leaves with no supporting structure, placed in forks of fairly large branches near the trunks of medium-sized trees, and were 3.9 and 5.4 m (10 and 20 ft) above the ground. Each held only one egg. Both parents incubated the egg and cared for the hatchling. The incubation period was at least 13 days and the time to fledging was 20 days.<p>The banded ground cuckoo's principal vocalization "resembles a deep moo of a cow" that rises and falls and repeats about every five seconds. Pairs and family groups call to each other while foraging out of sight of one another. They also make a dry clacking sound by clapping their bill.<p>Banded ground cuckoos have been observed to mimic peccaries acoustically, perhaps for two reasons. Peccaries are able to defend their herd from predators, so mimicking peccaries would trick predators into believing that peccaries are near. Doing so may also benefit both species by warning the other of nearby predators.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Ursula's Sunbird
Cinnyris ursulae
A small, inconspicuous, and easily overlooked sunbird of mountain forests. At a distance, appears fairly uniform in color, but in good light the greenish back contrasts with the gray face, olive throat, pale belly, and reddish tufts on the sides of the body that are sometimes concealed by the wings. Bill is not overly long, but is distinctly curved. Within its range, most likely to be confused with Little Green Sunbird, but Ursula’s Sunbird has a plain face and more decurved, all black bill. Song varies, but always consists of sharp, high-pitched notes that are sometimes delivered as a jumble and sometimes as a single note followed by a descending pattern of quick, high pitched notes: “tsee-TSEE-TSI-tsi-tsi.”
Dotted Tanager
Ixothraupis varia
Small, beautiful tanager with bright uniform green plumage. Males have bluish wings and tail and scattered dots on breast. Note the dark lores. Females are all green and lack the dark lores. Found patchily in the canopy of humid forest and forest edges, typically in white sand areas or ridgetops, and often found with mixed-species flocks. Easily confused with juveniles of Yellow-bellied and Spotted Tanagers. The song is a very high, hissing “tsip... tsee-tseee-tsee-tsee-tsee”.
Black Guan
Chamaepetes unicolor
Large chickenlike bird found in montane forests. Entirely black plumage with blue facial skin, red eye, and reddish legs. Sexes similar. Unlikely to be confused: smaller and blacker than Crested Guan; lacks curled head feathers of Great Curassow; also found at higher elevations. Can be seen on the ground or in trees, usually in pairs or small family groups. Feeds on fruit.
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