Chestnut-winged Cuckoo
Clamator coromandus
A distinctive, long-tailed cuckoo with a peaked black crest like a witch's hat, bright orange throat, rusty wings, a black back, and white nape and belly. Forages and sings high in dense canopy; seldom seen well enough for all these traits to be seen at once. Varied vocalizations are harsh, raspy, or metallic sounding and include high-pitched “veep-veep” notes, a strident “kooree”, and a maniacal rattling cackle.
Identification
This dark and crested cuckoo has chestnut wings, a glossy black crest and a graduated tail (the feathers shortening in steps from the center outwards) whose terminal edges are white and inconspicuous unlike the white tips of the Jacobin cuckoo which is found in parts of its range. The black capping on the head is broken from black of the back by a white collar that extends to the sides of the neck. The lower parts are rufous turning to dark grey towards the vent. Young birds are dusky with a scaly appearance to the wing feathers.
Taxonomy
The species was first given its binomial name by Linnaeus in 1766. His description of what he called Cuculus coromandus was based on the notes of Brisson who described the bird as "Le coucou hupрé de Coromandel" which was collected on the Coromandel coast of India (probably near Pondicherry which was a French colony). Buffon noticed the close relation to the Jacobin cuckoo and called it "le Jacobin huppé de Coromande". The species was later placed under the genus names of Coccystes, Oxylophus before being placed in Clamator.
- Scientific name
- Clamator coromandus
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Clamator
Range and habitat
The species is found from the western Himalayas to the eastern Himalayas and extends into Southeast Asia. It has been recorded from India, Nepal, China, Indonesia, Laos, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. Some populations may be non-migratory.<p>During migration in India, it moves along the Eastern Ghats in its southward migration with exhausted individuals often being discovered in the vicinity of homes. In mid-October, they are found in numbers at Point Calimere, possibly into Sri Lanka. Some appear to winter in the Western Ghats.
- Breeding range
- OR : Himalayas to e China and se Asia
- Non-breeding range
- s India and Sri Lanka to w, c Indonesian Arch. and Philippines
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
This cuckoo sometimes joins mixed species foraging flocks and is usually seen singly. The breeding season is in summer and it is said to lay its eggs mainly in the nest of Garrulax laughingthrushes, especially G. monileger and G. pectoralis. The eggs are very spherical. The calls include fluty twin-notes repeated with short intervals.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Moustached Turca
Pteroptochos megapodius
Fairly common; seen more readily than other large tapaculos. Like huet-huets, loud calls often draw attention. Found in matorral and other native scrub on hillsides and rocky slopes. Often perches on rocks or runs along roadsides, tail cocked strongly. Besides its large, “fat” size and shape, note big white “mustaches,” solidly brownish breast, and boldly barred belly. Compare with smaller and longer-tailed White-throated Tapaculo, which is often in the same areas.
Des Murs's Wiretail
Sylviorthorhynchus desmursii
Fairly common but heard much more than seen. This demure little brown bird favors bamboo thickets and other dense tangles at forest edge, roadsides, and along streams. Usually in pairs that move quickly through cover, showing only briefly. Plumage is warm brown overall with paler eyebrow and beady dark eye; might suggest a House Wren but plumage lacks barring, and identified easily if long “wiretail” streamers are seen, such as when flying across a road or trail.
Sabine's Spinetail
Rhaphidura sabini
A distinctive swift of lowland forest with a square tail and bulging wings that are “pinched” at the body and widest in the center. Wings, back, and throat are blackish, while belly, tail, and rump are white. Could be confused with Cassin’s Spinetail, but Sabine’s Spinetail’s tail extends out beyond the wings, giving it a typical swift appearance. Call is a high-pitched twitter.
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