Harman Patil (Editor)

Sirkeer malkoha

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Aves

Family
  
Cuculidae

Rank
  
Species

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Cuculiformes

Genus
  
Phaenicophaeus

Sirkeer malkoha wwwbirdsiitkacinsitesdefaultfilesSirkeer2

Scientific name
  
Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii

Similar
  
Blue‑faced malkoha, Malkoha, Grey‑bellied cuckoo, Banded bay cuckoo, Common hawk‑cuckoo

The sirkeer malkoha or sirkeer cuckoo (Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii), is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the hoatzin. It is a resident bird in the Indian subcontinent.

Contents

Sirkeer malkoha Oriental Bird Club Image Database Sirkeer Malkoha Taccocua

Sirkeer malkoha umiam lake 2 nov 2012


Distribution

Sirkeer malkoha Ceylon Bird Club Birds of Sri Lanka sri lankan birds endemic

All of the sub-Himalayan Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka; patchy in Pakistan and Rajasthan. Sometimes considered as three races, varying in colouration.

Description

Sirkeer malkoha Mangoverde World Bird Guide Photo Page Sirkeer Malkoha

  • Size: A largish bird at 42 cm.
  • Appearance: Mainly earthy brown and rufous in colour, and the long heavy tail is edged with prominently white tipped graduated cross-rayed tail feathers. An obvious relation of the coucal (crow pheasant). Bill is hooked, bright cherry-red and yellow. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and barred above.
  • Habitat: Largely terrestrial, open scrub and thorn jungle, deciduous secondary jungle. Singly or in pairs.
  • Behaviour: Stalks about amongst thickets like crow-pheasant, searching for food; insects, lizards, fallen fruits and berries, etc. Runs swiftly through undergrowth looking like mongoose. Feeble flier, but ascends trees rapidly, hopping from branch to branch with great agility, like the coucal.
  • Call: Normally a subdued "bzuk... bzuk" ; also an alarm call of "p'tang" with a metallic quality.
  • Food: A variety of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates. It occasionally eats berries.

    • Nesting

    This cuckoo, like other malkohas, is non-parasitic.

    Sirkeer malkoha Sirkeer Malkoha or Sirkeer Cuckoo Some photographers consi Flickr

  • Season - March to August (varying with latitude)
  • Nest: a shallow saucer of twigs lined with green leaves, in a thorn bush such as Euphorbia, or sapling 2 to 7 m up.
  • Eggs: 2 or 3, white, with a chalky texture.

    • The scientific name of this bird commemorates the French botanist Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour.

    Sirkeer malkoha Sirkeer malkoha Wikipedia

    Sirkeer malkoha Oriental Bird Club Image Database Sirkeer Malkoha Taccocua

    References

    Sirkeer malkoha Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA