Green-billed coucal
| Green-billed coucal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Centropus |
| Species: | C. chlororhynchos |
| Binomial name | |
| Centropus chlororhynchos Blyth, 1849 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Centropus chlororhynchus | |
The green-billed coucal (Centropus chlororhynchos) [1] is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the hoatzin.
It is endemic to Sri Lanka. The green-billed coucal is a rare and shy species of the tall rainforests of southwest Sri Lanka. It nests in a bush, and the typical clutch is 2-3 eggs.
This is a medium to large species at 43 cm. Its head and body are purple-black, the wings are maroon above and black below, and the long tail is dark green. The bill is a distinctive light green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and streaked.
The green-billed coucal takes a wide range of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates, but snails are a favourite. It occasionally eats other food items.
This species is somewhat smaller and less contrasted than the more widespread greater coucal. Despite its size and distinctive call, this is a difficult species to see because of the dense habitat in which it lives and its retiring nature.
This coucal has a small and declining population as a result of the forest destruction.
In culture
In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as bata atti-kukula - or, wal atti-kukula in the Sinhala language.[2] This bird appears in a 20 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp.[3]
References
- ↑ Wijesinghe, Martin (1999). "Nesting of Green-billed Coucals Centropus chlororhynchos in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka" (PDF). Forktail 15: 43–45.
- ↑ Anonymous (1998). "Vernacular Names of the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent" (PDF). Buceros 3 (1): 53–109. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2010.
- ↑ http://www.birdtheme.org/country/srilanka.html
- Notes
- BirdLife International (2004). Centropus chlororhynchus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map, a brief justification of why this species is vulnerable, and the criteria used