Pacific Koel
Eudynamys orientalis
Large cuckoo known for its loud distinctive calls. Bright red eye. Males entirely black. Females barred with varying patterns, a black crown and a strong moustache. Occurs in a variety of habitats, fairly common in suburban areas. Strong migrant, spending the middle of the year in eastern Indonesia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and migrating south into eastern Australia during the austral summer. Calls are very loud, often heard at night or pre-dawn, including a piercing ‘coo-eee’, and a longer ‘wirra-wirra-wirra’ (similar to a car alarm).
识别特征
The Pacific Koel can be identified by its black plumage, often tinted with blue and green, and red eyes. The species is sexually dimorphic: the female has brown plumage along the back with white spots and the underbelly is often cream coloured with fine black stripes. Young birds resemble the female but have dark eyes.
分类信息
The Pacific koel was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with the cuckoos in the genus Cuculus and coined the binomial name Cuculus orientalis. Linnaeus based his account on the "Le Coucou noir des Indes" that had been described and illustrated in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in his multi-volume work Ornithologie. The type locality is Ambon Island, one of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The Pacific koel is now placed in the genus Eudynamys that was introduced in 1827 by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) and the black-billed koel (Eudynamys melanorhynchus).<p>Eight subspecies are recognised:
- 学名
- Eudynamys orientalis
- 命名信息
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- 目
- Cuculiformes
- 科
- Cuculidae
- 属
- Eudynamys
分布与栖息地
It is found in forest, woodland, plantations and gardens from Wallacea east to the Solomon Islands and south to northern and eastern Australia. The Pacific koel has not been rated by IUCN, but the Australian Koel (here included in the Pacific koel) is considered to be of Least Concern.
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
The Pacific koel is a brood parasite. In Australia, their hosts are mainly large honeyeaters (especially noisy friarbirds and red wattlebirds). Unlike in other parasitic cuckoos, the young do not attempt to kill the host chicks. This trait is shared with the channel-billed cuckoo, which – as in the Pacific koel – are largely frugivorous as adults. A study of vocalization noted that the duetting behaviour may indicate the possibility of short-term pair-bonding in its otherwise polygynous mating system. <p>In Australia, the presence of the species is regarded as a sign of the arrival of spring and the rainy season. It is also viewed as a nuisance due to the males' incessant calling throughout the day and night. The calls indicate the start of breeding season and males would call repeatedly to mark their territory or communicate their availability to other females.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Timor Green-Pigeon
Treron psittaceus
Fruit-loving, forest-dwelling pigeon with the coloration of a green mango. Gathers in flocks in fruiting trees and races by overhead in fast, direct flight. Note darker-centered feathers under the tail and bright yellowish linings on the wing feathers. Black-and-white outer tail edges are often exposed in flight. The only green-pigeon on Timor; all-green plumage readily separates this species from imperial-pigeons and fruit-doves. Very rare or extirpated in Indonesian West Timor, and declining in East Timor due to hunting and habitat loss. Gives oddly creaky rising coo: “aw-woo-wUUOO.”
Elliot's Pheasant
Syrmaticus ellioti
Pale and stocky-looking pheasant of hill forests with dense undergrowth; generally scarce due to poaching throughout its range. Male is unmistakable: mostly brown above with a white belly, silvery head, bright red face, and a long pale gray tail with thick russet bands. Female is smaller and shorter-tailed with a faded version of the male’s patterning. Can be quite tame in areas where are protected and fed by rural communities.
Forest Penduline-Tit
Anthoscopus flavifrons
Tiny, drab bird with a sharp bill, a dull olive-green back, and buffy yellow underparts and forehead. Found in lowland rainforest, secondary forest, and sometimes plantations, usually in the canopy. Uncommon and inconspicuous, in pairs or small flocks. Similar to Yellow Penduline-Tit, but much duller and found in different habitat. Could be confused with Tit-Hylia, but duller overall, without streaking on the head and breast. Could also be confused with some dull sunbirds, but has a shorter, deeper-based, and sharper bill. The vocalizations are very high-pitched “sit” notes that are easily missed.
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