Himalayan cuckoo
| Himalayan cuckoo | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Cuculus |
| Species: | C. saturatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cuculus saturatus (Blyth, 1843) | |
The Himalayan cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus) is a species of cuckoo in the genus Cuculus. It breeds from the Himalayas eastward to southern China and Taiwan. It migrates to southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands for the winter.
It was formerly known as "Oriental cuckoo" and contained several subspecies found over most of Asia. In 2005, it was determined that this "species" consists of three distinct lineages:
- Himalayan cuckoo, Cuculus (saturatus) saturatus
- Oriental cuckoo proper, Cuculus (saturatus) optatus
- Sunda cuckoo, Cuculus (saturatus) lepidus
These are usually seen as distinct species nowadays. As the type specimen of the former "Oriental" cuckoo is a bird of the Himalayan population, the name saturatus applies to the Himalayan cuckoo if it is considered a species.
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2013). "Cuculus saturatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.