Greater Ani

Crotophaga major

The Greater Ani is a large member of the Cuckoo family, identified by its black-blue feathers, long tail, and ridged bill. They also have white eyes, which differentiate them from the other Ani species.

These birds live in Central and South America, and live in small groups year round. These groups live within specific territories, and defend their ground by making loud, squawking calls. The Greater Ani is also a cooperative breeder. This means that several females in the group all lay eggs into a single nest, and then they all take care of the incubation and feeding duties. As many as ten eggs can be found in a single nest.

The Greater Ani feeds on insects like Crickets and Grasshoppers, as well as on Lizards and Frogs. Whether on the ground or in the trees, they are very jerky and clumsy in their movement.

The range of this species is quite large, and they are common throughout it. The population is listed as stable, and they have no major conservation threats at this time.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : South and Central  America
Size : Length up to 20in (50cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Cuculiformes
Family : Cuculidae -- Genus : Crotophaga -- Species : C. major

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Asian Koel

Eudymanys scolopaceus (male)

The Asian Koel is a bird named for its call-- Koel is an onomatopoeia for one of the many sounds that they commonly produce during the breeding season. You can see (and hear) these large, long-tailed Cuckoos in southeast Asia and northern Australia, where they live in wooded and shrubby areas.

The coloration of the Asian Koel is dependent on their sex-- males are a dark bluish-black all over, and look almost crow-like at first glance. Females are brown with creamy speckles all over their head and wings.

Female Asian Koel

Like many Cuckoo species, Asian Koels are brood parasites. They do not build their own nests, rather they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Their host parent of choice depends on the location, but House Crows and Mynas are popular picks. Young Koels don't always "eliminate" their adopted siblings after hatching. In fact, most newly hatched Koels will actually act and sing like their fake families!

Though they share the common Cuckoo brood parasitism characteristic, Asian Koels are relatively unique among their family in that they are mostly frugivores as adults. They do sometimes feed on small insects, but fruits and berries are their preferred picks!

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Southeast Asia and Australia
Size : Length up to 18in (46cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Cuculiformes
Family : Cuculidae -- Genus : Eudynamys -- Species : E. scolopaceus

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Great Blue Turaco

Corythaeola cristata

Allow me to introduce you to the Great Blue Turaco, the largest of all the Turacos. This particular species can be found throughout central Africa, living within small groups in forested areas with elevations below around 2,700 ft. An interesting fact is that they are excellent climbers, but are poor when it comes to flying.

Oftentimes when you see a colorful bird such as this one, you assume that only the males have such excellent, vibrant plumage. Not so with this Turaco! Both the males and the females of the species are bright blue with yellow and red beaks.

Great Blue Turacos feed primarily on different types of fruit, but they occasionally munch on small invertebrates as well.

The species is currently listed as being of Least Concern due to their massive Sub-Saharan range.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Africa
Size : Length up to 30in (76cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Cuculiformes

Family : Musophagidae -- Genus : Corythaeola-- Species : C. cristata

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Guinea Turaco

Tauraco persa

The Guinea Turaco is a brightly colored bird with a large head crest found in Central and Western Africa. They are a member of the Turaco family, which contains many other brightly colored species. They feed on flowers, fruits, and buds.

There are some really cool facts about Turacos! For example, did you know that they are the only birds to have true red and green pigmentation? They actually have copper in their feather pigments, which cannot be found in any other animals!

Guinea Turacos form monogamous breeding pairs during the rainy season, and build nests in trees. Two eggs are laid at a time, and both parents care for the young until they mature and leave at around 15 weeks.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : West and Central Africa
Size : Length 17in (43cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order: Cuculiformes
Family : Musophagidae -- Genus : Tauraco -- Species : T. persa

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Chestnut-breasted Malkoha

The Chestnut-breasted Malkoha is a large Cuckoo that lives in the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia  Myanmar, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines. Currently there are six recognized subspecies.

Phaenicophaeus curvirostris

They are very striking looking birds, and are relatively large for a Cuckoo. Males and females have near identical plumage, which is a dark greenish-blue across the head and back, with a chestnut colored underside. They also have red skin patches around their eyes, adding additional color contrast.

Chestnut-breasted Malkohas typically live in pairs, and have a rather unique breeding habit among Cuckoos. While many of their family members will force others birds to raise their young, these Malkohas actually do the incubating, feeding, and raising themselves!

Another interesting fact about Malkohas in general is that these birds don't fly all that much. They typically move about the trees by hopping from branch to branch.

Chestnut-breasted Malkohas have a large range and a stable population.

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IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Southeast Asia

Size : Length up to 19in (49cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Cuculiformes
Family : Cuculidae -- Genus : Phaenicophaeus -- Species : P. curvirostris

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Guira Cuckoo

Guira Cuckoos at
Busch Gardens

Well I just made it back from vacation, and now that Marsupial Week is all wrapped up I'd like to share with you some of the animals that I met while out of town.

The first of these is the Guira Cuckoo, a scruffy looking bird that natively inhabits open areas of southern South America. I encountered two of these birds at the Lorikeet Glen in Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Guira Cuckoos are very social; they sleep, feed, and nest in groups. They forage on the ground with each other, feeding on small vertebrates and insects.

Guira Cuckoos are quite interesting because they are non-parasitic. No, this doesn't mean they are bug free, this means that they don't practice brood parasitism. Many Cuckoos will deposit their eggs in the nests of other bird species. Because the Cuckoos are typically larger than their hosts, the Cuckoo chicks will get rid of the host's eggs or hatchlings in order to receive more attention.

Rather than take part in brood parasitism, Guira Cuckoos take part in communal nesting. Several females will lay their eggs in a single nest, and they will all care for the eggs (though competition usually means some of the young will die).

Guira Cuckoos are also very vocal birds, creating a wide variety of chirps, whistles and trills. They can even imitate the calls of other birds!

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IUCN Status :  Least Concern

Location : Southern South America

Size : Total Length up to 13in (34cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae -- Genus : Guira -- Species : G. guira

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