Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes. The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae, respectively. The cuckoo order Cuculiformes is one of three that make up the Otidimorphae, the other two being the turacos and the bustards. The family Cuculidae contains 150 species, which are divided into 33 genera.
The black-billed cuckoo is a New World species in the Cuculidae (cuckoo) family. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name, kokkuzo, means to call like a common cuckoo, and erythropthalmus is from eruthros, "red" and ophthalmos, "eye".
Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo, also known as the whistling hawk-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo found in north-eastern India, Myanmar, southern China and southeast Asia.
The common hawk-cuckoo, popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. It bears a close resemblance to the Shikra, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch. The resemblance to hawks gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoo and like many other cuckoos these are brood parasites, laying their eggs in nests of babblers. During their breeding season in summer males produce loud, repetitive three note calls that are well-rendered as brain-fever, the second note being longer and higher pitched. These notes rise to a crescendo before ending abruptly and repeat after a few minutes; the calling may go on through the day, well after dusk and before dawn.
Cuculus is a genus of cuckoos which has representatives in most of the Old World, although the greatest diversity is in tropical southern and southeastern Asia.
Cacomantis is a genus of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. The genus name is derived from the Greek kakos meaning evil or ill-boding and mantis for prophet and is derived from their association with "rains" being supposed to be predicted as also ill fortune and bad weather. Most of them have a round nostril and are mainly in brown and gray colours. The tails are graduated and barred. The bars are transverse in sonneratii and oblique in all others.
Cercococcyx is a genus of cuckoos in the family Cuculidae, known as the long-tailed cuckoos.
Ceuthmochares is a genus of 2 species of cuckoos in the family Cuculidae. The two species were once treated as a single species, known as the yellowbill. Both species are found in evergreen forest in Africa. Although they are cuckoos they are not brood parasites. This indicates that they do not lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species.
Chrysococcyx is a genus of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.
The Sulawesi cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is often known as the Sulawesi hawk-cuckoo but appears not to be related to the other hawk-cuckoos. It is endemic to Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The large hawk-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide breeding distribution from temperate Asia along the Himalayas extending to East Asia. Many populations winter further south. They are known for their loud and repetitive calls which are similar to that of the common hawk-cuckoo but do not rise in crescendo. They are also somewhat larger and adults can be readily told apart from the smaller common hawk-cuckoo by the black patch on the chin. They are brood-parasites of babblers and laughing-thrushes.
The moustached hawk-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. Its natural habitat is evergreen and secondary forests. Threatened by habitat loss, it has been assessed as a near-threatened species.
Neomorphus is a genus of terrestrial cuckoos in the family Cuculidae. Despite their relatively large size, they are highly inconspicuous and rarely seen. They are restricted to the humid primary forests in the Neotropics, and despite their similar looks, not closely related to the Asian ground cuckoos of the genus Carpococcyx.
The thick-billed cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is monotypic within the genus Pachycoccyx. It can easily be distinguished from other brood parasitic cuckoo species by its very thick bill, which is shaped in a rather hawk-like fashion.
The Philippine hawk-cuckoo is a bird belonging to the cuckoo family. It is found only in the Philippines. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo but is now commonly treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations.
Surniculus is a small genus of birds in the cuckoo family. Its four members are found in tropical Asia and the Philippines. They are:
Coccycua is a small genus of birds in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Its three species are found in the tropical Americas.
The Malaysian hawk-cuckoo or Malay hawk-cuckoo is a bird in the family Cuculidae formerly considered conspecific with Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo and the rufous hawk-cuckoo. All three species were previously assigned as Cuculus fugax.
The dark hawk-cuckoo is a bird in the family Cuculidae formerly considered conspecific with the large hawk-cuckoo and placed in the Cuculus genus.
The northern hawk-cuckoo,rufous hawk-cuckoo, or Horsfield's hawk-cuckoo is a bird in the family Cuculidae formerly thought to be conspecific with Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo and placed in the genus Cuculus.
