Burchell's Coucal
Centropus burchellii
A large, robust, ungainly cuckoo with rufous wings and a long, broad tail. The underparts and back are streaked, and it has a distinctive white eyebrow. The rump and upper tail coverts are barred, unlike other coucals. It often moves clumsily, preferring to clamber about in rank vegetation or walk on the ground foraging for insects or small vertebrates. Its flight is labored and heavy. This species uses a wide variety of habitats with a thick understory, including savanna, woodland, forest edge, and wetlands. The song is a descending bubbling series, “bu-bu-bu bu bu bu bu”, that falls and then rises in pitch.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Centropus burchellii
- Authority
- Swainson, 1838
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Centropus
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Chaco Owl
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Sulawesi Babbler
Pellorneum celebense
A plump, small, long-legged nondescript brown songbird with paler underparts that vary from whitish to buffy in different parts of the range. Found singly or in pairs, on or near the ground, in understory of lowland and foothill forest and forest edges. Restricted to Sulawesi and the Togian and Butung islands, where it is the only babbler present. Long legs, plain overall appearance, and ground-loving habits make it readily identified within its small range. A vocal species with bold calls, including a musical “dewiyou-dee-dee” and repetitive cries of “KEER-KEER-KEER…”.
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