Blue Cuckooshrike
Cyanograucalus azureus
A beautiful, entirely blue thrush-like bird that can be surprisingly hard to make out in the dark subcanopy of tropical forests as it forages high above the ground. When seen well, it is unmistakable, with its entirely blue body, red eyes, dark face, and black bill. When it is backlit in the trees, look for its distinctive profile perched close to branches with relatively short legs and tail, and its generally unicolored appearance. Occurs in small flocks whose calls consist of hoarse, whiny “tchuwee” and terse “tchup” notes. Song is a piercing “puuuEEEEoooo” or “wheeEEEr” that can be fairly variable in pitch and length.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cyanograucalus azureus
- Authority
- (Cassin, 1852)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Campephagidae
- Genus
- Cyanograucalus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Dollarbird
Eurystomus orientalis
Heavily built, flat-headed dark blue bird with a short bright red bill. In flight has a characteristic white circle, or ‘dollar’, on each underwing. Juvenile lacks red bill. May resemble mynas in flight, but note longer wings, larger head, and more powerful, less frantic flight. Nests in cavities; typically tree hollows. Frequently perches on power-lines or in the tops of tall dead trees.
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver
Plocepasser rufoscapulatus
Large and distinctive weaver. Note the pale bill, bold head pattern, rufous back, and white wingbars. Found locally in miombo broadleaf woodland. Quiet and inconspicuous bird that feeds on the ground but often perches up in trees. The most common vocalization is a loose, metallic trill. Somewhat like White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, but easily separated by pale bill, striped head pattern, and rufous back.
Russet-tailed Thrush
Zoothera heinei
Large thrush, adult rich brown marbled with dark marks above, pale with black scaly marks below. Larger Bassian Thrush has smaller-appearing bill, is more contrastingly marked above. In flight, Russet-tailed shows white in tail corners, absent in Bassian. The smaller wingbar has more prominent pale tips in adult Russet-tailed than Bassian. Inhabits wet forests, where it forages in leaf litter. Song a distinctive, thin “whee-doo,” falling in pitch, very unlike Bassian.
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