Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo
Cercococcyx mechowi
A dark brownish-gray cuckoo with an unusually long tail and barred underparts. Found in the understory and at middle levels of humid forest at low and middle elevations. Shy and retiring, most easily found by voice. Very similar to Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo and best separated by voice, but also identified by darker upperparts, broader barring on the underparts, and richer rufous on the undertail. There are two main vocalizations: a quick series of three rising whistles, and a long, rapid series of whistles that slows and falls slightly toward the end. In the far western part of the range, the three whistles are slow and each one is progressively higher in pitch; elsewhere, the whistles are fast and identical.
识别特征
The dusky long-tailed cuckoo is about 33 cm (13 in) long and weighs 50–61 g (1.8–2.2 oz). The head, nape and upperparts are dark brown, washed sooty-grey and with a purple-blue iridescence. The wings are dark brown, with buff and white spots. The underparts are white, with blackish-brown bars, and the vent is buff. The tail is long and graduated. The eyes are dark brown, the beak is greenish-black and the feet are yellow. The male and female are alike. The juvenile bird has a blackish throat and rufous bars on its upperparts. The nestling's skin is black, and it has a yellow rump and pale feet.
分类信息
The species was described by Jean Cabanis in 1882. It is monotypic. The specific epithet mechowi honours Friedrich Wilhelm Alexander von Mechow, a Prussian explorer. The name occidentalis for a population with different songs is a nomen nudum.
- 学名
- Cercococcyx mechowi
- 命名信息
- Cabanis, 1882
- 目
- Cuculiformes
- 科
- Cuculidae
- 属
- Cercococcyx
分布与栖息地
This cuckoo has a discontinuous distribution and is found in Angola, most of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Tanzania, and Uganda. Populations west of the Bakossi Mountains, in northwestern Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo, are now considered a distinct species, the whistling long-tailed cuckoo (C. lemaireae) due to their differing calls. Its habitat is forests, preferring ones with dense undergrowth and lianas. It also occurs in tall secondary forests and forests along rivers.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The dusky long-tailed cuckoo is often found in the undergrowth or mid-canopy. It eats caterpillars, ants, beetles, spiders, snails and seeds and joins mixed-species foraging flocks. Pairs often call from treetops. Its calls include hu hee wheeu and a series of notes that accelerates and then slows and descends. This cuckoo is a brood parasite. The blue-headed crested flycatcher, brown illadopsis and possibly the forest robin have been observed as hosts. Its breeding may be associated with the wet season.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Anas zonorhyncha
Common large duck of lakes, ponds, wet fields, and estuaries. Dark brown overall, with a pale head marked by a whitish eyebrow and two black stripes on the face. Namesake yellow bill spot is visible even from a good distance. White underwings contrast strongly with dark body in flight. Highly adaptable and quite tame, foraging in city parks and small ponds close to human settlements.
Rusty-crowned Babbler
Sterrhoptilus capitalis
A fairly small bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge, with a rufous crown and a gray back and cheek, all with whitish streaks. Also has dark wings and tail with white outer tail feathers, and off-white underparts blending to a pale orange throat. Note the slender black bill. Often joins mixed-species flocks and sometimes hangs upside down while feeding. Somewhat similar to Brown Tit-Babbler, but slightly larger, with a rufous crown and a white belly. Flocks give a jumble of squeaky chattering notes.
Common Hill Myna
Gracula religiosa
Glossy black myna with bright yellow head wattles. Also note bright candlewax-orange bill and white wing patches that are most apparent in flight. A species of mature humid forest and forest edge, often seen in pairs or small flocks flying between or perched up in tall trees. Famed for its wide repertoire: gives a myriad of screams, squeaks, chirps, and whistles. Threatened by its popularity in the cage bird trade.
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