Slaty Cuckoo-Dove
Turacoena modesta
A long-tailed, uniformly slate-gray dove with bare yellow facial skin. Juvenile browner, with white feather edging. Found singly or pairs in forests, forest edges, and nearby wooded areas within the lowlands and foothills. Song starts with several slow, well spaced “wooyup” notes before quickly moving into a rapidly accelerating series of “woop-woop-woop” notes, trailing off at the end.
Identification
The black cuckoo-dove is a medium-sized cuckoo-dove with a length of 38.5–42 cm (15.2–16.5 in). Both sexes are similar in appearance. It is mainly dark bluish-gray, with the color being lighter on the head and underparts and almost black on the wings and tail. The feathers on the top of the head, nape, neck, breast and upper back have iridescent green or purple fringes. The orbital skin is yellow, while the iris has a yellow inner ring and a red outer ring. The legs and beak are black. Juveniles are duller, with brownish-grey plumage, and have light fawn-white fringes to feathers.<p>The advertising call is a long crrruah...crrruah..rrah.rah.ra.ra.ra-ra-ra-r-r-r-r which starts with purrs that are similar to those of the European turtle dove and then becomes a series of stuttering notes before fading. It lasts for 6–8 seconds and consists of 20–25 notes. It is repeated around every half minute.
Taxonomy
The black cuckoo-dove was first described as Columba modesta by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Temminck in 1835 based on a specimen from Timor. It was then moved to the genus Macropygia by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1844, before finally being moved to Turacoena in 1856. The name of the genus, Turacoena, is after the genus Turacus (now treated as a synonym of Tauraco) and the Ancient Greek word oinas, meaning pigeon. The specific name modesta is from the Latin word modestus, meaning plain or modest. Black cuckoo-dove is the official common name designated by the International Ornithologists' Union. Other common names for the species include black dove, Timor cuckoo-dove, Timor black cuckoo-dove, Timor black pigeon, and slate-colored cuckoo-dove.<p>The black cuckoo-dove is one of three species in the genus Turacoena and is most closely related to the white-faced cuckoo dove. It does not have any subspecies.
- Scientific name
- Turacoena modesta
- Authority
- (Temminck, 1835)
- Order
- Musophagiformes
- Family
- Musophagidae
- Genus
- Turacoena
Range and habitat
The black cuckoo-dove is endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands and is found on Timor, Wetar, Rote, and Atauro. It inhabits primary and secondary monsoon forest, eucalyptus forest, and woodland at elevations of up to 1,770 m (5,810 ft) and is moderately tolerant of habitat destruction. It is thought to migrate seasonally depending on food availability.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The black cuckoo-dove is mainly found singly or in pairs in the subcanopy. It is a quiet species and flies swiftly to nearby perches when flushed. It feeds on fruit and forages singly or in pairs in bushes and small trees. Flocks also congregate at fruiting trees. It is parasitized by the quill mite Meitingsunes turacoenas, which is present on its flight feathers.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Turdus nigrorum
A dark thrush with a slightly paler head, and orange bill, eyering, legs, and feet. Found at high elevations in Mindanao and Negros in the Philippines, where it is more common than many of the former Island Thrush complex. Forages at all levels of forest, including on the forest floor. Calls include harsh chupping calls, often given in bursts.
Red-faced Barbet
Lybius rubrifacies
Chunky, medium-sized black barbet. There is red on the face, and the bottom part of the wing has white edging. Found locally in woodland, cultivated areas, and gallery forest. Usually in pairs or small groups. The call is an unmusical duet of low, rasping calls. Similar to Black-billed Barbet, but not known to overlap in range, and easily separated by lack of red on the throat or white edges to the top part of the wing.
Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher
Terpsiphone rufocinerea
This relatively short-tailed paradise-flycatcher is often found near forest edges and around villages and towns in gardens. Both sexes have gray heads and undersides with blue bills and blue eye-rings, as well as a red back, red wings, red tail, and most importantly, a red vent. Males are similar to females but have longer central tail feathers and darker glossy black heads. Similar to Bates’s Paradise-Flycatcher, but Rufous-vented Paradise-Flycatcher males have longer central tail feathers and darker heads with a more prominent crest. Some individuals are best left unidentified. Songs are similar to those of other paradise-flycatchers, consisting of repeated, whiny whistles “two-two-TEE-TEE-two-two-ter” or clearer “tweer-tweer-tweer” sounds, with variations in pitch and number of notes. Calls include whiny, rasping “heh” notes as well as other chatters and dry trills.
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