Jacobin cuckoo

Last updated

Jacobin cuckoo
Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) Photograph By Shantanu Kuveskar.jpg
An adult (India)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Clamator
Species:
C. jacobinus
Binomial name
Clamator jacobinus
(Boddaert, 1783)
ClamatorJacobinusMap.svg
dark green - year round
yellow - summer only
blue - winter
cream - passage only
Synonyms

Oxylophus jacobinus
Coccystes melanoleucos
Coccystes hypopinarius

Contents

The Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus), also pied cuckoo or pied crested cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival. [2] It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the chātaka (Sanskrit: चातक) represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst.

Taxonomy

The Jacobin cuckoo was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux in 1780. [3] The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. This was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. [4] Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Cuculus jacobinus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. [5] The type locality is the Coromandel Coast of southeast India. [6]

The current genus Clamator was erected by German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1829 with the great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) as the type species. [7] The name is the Latin word for "shouter" from clamare, "to shout". The specific epithet jacobinus and the English name Jacobin refer to the pied plumage which resembles the black and white garments of monks belonging to the Dominican Order. In France Dominicans were known as "Jacobins". [8]

The three subspecies with their breeding ranges are: [9]

Description

In flight, the white wing patches and tail edges are prominent Jacobin Cuckoo (14964504996).jpg
In flight, the white wing patches and tail edges are prominent
Black-phase Jacobin cuckoo in KwaZulu-Natal Cuckoo Jacobin 2015 11 26 08 37 15 7518.jpg
Black-phase Jacobin cuckoo in KwaZulu-Natal

This medium-sized, slim black and white cuckoo with a crest is distinctive. The white wing patch on the black wing and the pattern make it unmistakable even in flight. They are very vocal during the breeding season. The call is a ringing series of whistling notes "piu-piu" with the calls of the nominate form more rapid and slightly Mellower. [10] [11] [12]

In India the subspecies serratus (Sparrman, 1786) is a summer breeding visitor to northern India and is believed to migrate to southern Africa. This is larger and longer winged than the nominate subspecies found in the southern peninsular region and Sri Lanka is said to be a local migrant. [13] No ringing evidence exists to support the actual migration to Africa. [14] [15]

In Africa, subspecies serratus and pica (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) show two phases, a pied phase with white or whitish below and a black phase where the only white is on the wing patch. Mating appears to be assortative, with pied phase males pairing with pied phase females. An all-rufous color phase has been noted in Central Africa. [11] There is lack of clarity on the migration and plumage variation involved. Subspecies pica has been said to be the form that migrates between Africa and India [11] however Rasmussen & Anderton (2005) suggest serratus as being the valid name for the Afro-Indian migrants. [10] [16] [17] [18]

In the past some other African subspecies have been suggested such as hypopinarus from South Africa and caroli from the Gabon. [19]

Distribution and habitat

The species is distributed south of the Sahara in Africa and south of the Himalayas in India. Also found in Sri Lanka and parts of Myanmar. Within Africa, there are movements of the species although they are resident in tropical Africa. The east African population is migratory and moves over southern Arabia into India during April. [11] The habitat of the species is mainly in thorny, dry scrub or open woodland [10] avoiding areas of dense forest or extremely dry environments. [11]

Behaviour and ecology

In the breeding season, birds call from prominent perches and chase each other with slow wing-beats and pigeon like clapping flight. Courtship feeding has been observed in Africa. [11] The species is a brood parasite and in India the host is mainly species of babblers in the genus Turdoides . The colour of the eggs matches those of the host, typically turquoise blue. The eggs are slightly larger than those of the common babbler (T. caudatus) or the jungle babbler (T. striata). Other hosts include the red-vented bulbul, and the eggs laid are then mostly white. [20] Eggs are laid hurriedly in the morning into the nest of the host often dropped from above while the bird perches on the rim of the nest and over the host eggs often resulting in the cracking of one or more host eggs. [13] In Africa, the males distract the host while the female lays the egg. [11] Multiple eggs may be laid in the nest of a host and two young cuckoos were found to fledge successfully in several occasions. [13] In Africa, the hosts include Pycnonotus barbatus , P. capensis , [21] Turdoides fulvus , Turdoides rubiginosus , [22] Lanius collaris , Andropadus importunus , Terpsiphone viridis , Dicrurus adsimilis [23] and a few other species. [11] [14] [24] Babblers in the genus Turdoides are communal breeders and cuckoo chick are raised by several members of the group. A pied cuckoo chick was observed to be fed by four jungle babblers. [25] [26]

The skin of young birds darkens form pink to purplish brown within two days of hatching. The mouth linking is red with yellow gape flanges. Unlike some cuckoos, nestlings do not evict the eggs of the host from the nest although they claim most of the parental attention and food resulting sometimes, in the starvation of host nestlings. [11]

These cuckoos feed on insects including hairy caterpillars that are picked up from near or on the ground. Caterpillars are pressed from end to end to remove the guts before they are swallowed. They sometimes feed on fruits. [13]

Jacobin cuckoos are occasionally targeted as prey by the sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), which has been recorded attacking the significantly larger cuckoo by forcing it to the ground with its talons, then ripping away with its hooked beak. [27] [28]

In culture

This species is widely mentioned in ancient Indian poetry as the chātaka. [29] According to Indian mythology it has a beak atop its head and it thirsts for the rains. [30] The poet Kalidasa used it in his "Meghadoota" as a metaphor for deep yearning and this tradition continues in literary works. [31] Satya Churn Law, however noted that in Bengal, the bird associated with the "chataka" of Sanskrit was the common iora unlike the Jacobin cuckoo suggested by European orientalists. He further noted that a captive iora that he kept drank water only from dew and spray picked up from plant leaves suggesting that it may have been the basis for the idea that the "chatak" only drank raindrops. [32] To compound the issues with matching vernacular names, it has been pointed out that in Bengal chātak also refers to skylarks (which are also crested). [33]

Pied cuckoo in Pune, Maharashtra Pied-Cuckoo.jpg
Pied cuckoo in Pune, Maharashtra

It is also mentioned in the poem 'Are ghaas ki roti' where it is said that if Maharana Pratap was to surrender to Akbar, a dystopian future will ensue where the chātak will drink water from the ground.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahminy kite</span> Species of bird

The brahminy kite, also known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers, all found in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The brahminy kite is found mainly on the coast and in inland wetlands, where it feeds on dead fish and other prey. Adults have a reddish-brown body plumage contrasting with their white head and breast which make them easy to distinguish from other birds of prey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-necked grebe</span> Species of migratory aquatic bird

The red-necked grebe is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, although some birds may winter on large lakes. Grebes prefer shallow bodies of fresh water such as lakes, marshes or fish-ponds as breeding sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-billed blue magpie</span> Species of bird

The red-billed blue magpie is a species of bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie, but has a much longer tail, one of the longest of any corvid. It is 65–68 cm (25.5–27 in) long and weighs 196–232 g (6.9–8.2 oz).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-wattled lapwing</span> Species of bird

The yellow-wattled lapwing is a lapwing that is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. It is found mainly on the dry plains of peninsular India and has a sharp call and is capable of fast flight. Although they do not migrate, they are known to make seasonal movements in response to rains. They are dull grey brown with a black cap, yellow legs and a triangular wattle at the base of the beak. Like other lapwings and plovers, they are ground birds and their nest is a mere collection of tiny pebbles within which their well camouflaged eggs are laid. The chicks are nidifugous, leaving the nest shortly after hatching and following their parents to forage for food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-capped kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The black-capped kingfisher is a tree kingfisher which is widely distributed in tropical Asia from India east to China, Korea and Southeast Asia. This most northerly of the tree kingfishers is resident over much of its range, but northern populations are migratory, wintering south of their range in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Borneo and Java. It is distinctive in having a black cap that contrasts with the whitish throat, purple-blue wings and the coral red bill. The species is mainly found in coastal and mangrove habitats but can sometimes be found far inland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malabar pied hornbill</span> Species of bird

The Malabar pied hornbill, also known as the lesser pied hornbill, is a bird in the hornbill family, a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-naped woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The white-naped woodpecker is woodpecker which is a widespread but a scarce breeder in the Indian Subcontinent. It is associated with open forest and scrub with some trees. It nests in a tree hole, laying one or two white eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jungle babbler</span> Species of bird

The jungle babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae found in the Indian subcontinent. Jungle babblers are gregarious birds that forage in small groups of six to ten birds, a habit that has given them the popular name of "Seven Sisters" in urban Northern India, and in Bengali, with cognates in other regional languages which also mean "seven brothers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-billed babbler</span> Species of brown-grey bird from southern India and Sri Lanka

The yellow-billed babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka. The yellow-billed babbler is a common resident breeding bird in Sri Lanka and southern India. Its habitat is scrub, cultivation and garden land. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight and is usually seen calling and foraging in groups. It is often mistaken for the jungle babbler, whose range overlaps in parts of southern India, although it has a distinctive call and tends to be found in more vegetated habitats. Its name is also confused with Turdoides leucocephala, which is also known as white-headed babbler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown booby</span> Species of bird

The brown booby is a large seabird of the booby family Sulidae, of which it is perhaps the most common and widespread species. It has a pantropical range, which overlaps with that of other booby species. The gregarious brown booby commutes and forages at low height over inshore waters. Flocks plunge-dive to take small fish, especially when these are driven near the surface by their predators. They nest only on the ground, and roost on solid objects rather than the water surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diederik cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The diederik cuckoo, formerly dideric cuckoo or didric cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo family of birds, Cuculidae, which also includes the roadrunners and the anis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied water tyrant</span> Species of bird

The pied water tyrant is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in tropical South America from Panama and Trinidad south to Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Levaillant's cuckoo</span> Species of bird

Levaillant's cuckoo is a cuckoo which is a resident breeding species in Africa south of the Sahara. It is found in bushy habitats. It is a brood parasite, using the nests of bulbuls and babblers. It was named in honour of the French explorer, collector and ornithologist, François Le Vaillant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed parakeet</span> Species of bird

The long-tailed parakeet or Burung Bayan Nuri in Malay is a parakeet endemic to the regions of Andaman and Nicobar islands, Sumatra, Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. It is allopatric with the congener, the Red-breasted parakeet, Psittacula alexandri, except in the Andaman islands where they occur together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-winged cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-winged cuckoo or red-winged crested cuckoo is a cuckoo found in Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. It has dark glossy upperparts, a black head with long crest chestnut wings, a long graduated glossy black tail, rufous throat dusky underside and a narrow white nuchal half collar. They breed along the Himalayas and migrate south in winter to Sri Lanka, southern India and tropical Southeast Asia including parts of Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. It is about 47 cm (19 in) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large grey babbler</span> Species of bird

The large gray babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae found across India and far western Nepal. They are locally common in the scrub, open forest and gardenland. They are usually seen in small groups and are easily distinguished from other babblers in the region by their nasal call and the whitish outer feathers to their long tail. It is one of the largest babblers in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common babbler</span> Species of bird

The common babbler is a member of the family of Leiothrichidae. They are found in dry open scrub country mainly in India. Two populations are recognized as subspecies and the populations to the west of the Indus river system are now usually treated as a separate species, the Afghan babbler. The species is distinctly long-tailed, slim with an overall brown or greyish colour, streaked on the upper plumage and having a distinctive whitish throat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madagascar ibis</span> Species of bird

The Madagascar ibis, also known as the Madagascar crested ibis, white-winged ibis or crested wood ibis, is a medium-sized, brown-plumaged ibis. It has bare red orbital skin, yellow bill, red legs, white wings and its head is partially bare with a dense crest of green or gloss blue and white plumes on the nape. The Madagascar ibis is the only member of the genus Lophotibis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acacia pied barbet</span> Species of bird

The acacia pied barbet or pied barbet is a species of bird in the family Lybiidae which is native to southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangrove rail</span> Species of bird

The mangrove rail is a species of bird in subfamily Rallinae of family Rallidae, the rails, gallinules, and coots. It is found in Central and South America.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2016). "Clamator jacobinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22683800A93002088. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683800A93002088.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Khachar, Shivrajkumar (1989). "Pied Crested Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus - the harbinger of the monsoon". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 86 (3): 448–449.
  3. ↑ Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1780). "Le Jacobin huppé de Coromandel". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 12. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. p. 35.
  4. ↑ Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Coucou hupé de la côte de Coromandel". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 9. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 872.
  5. ↑ Boddaert, Pieter (1783). Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton : avec les denominations de M.M. de Buffon, Brisson, Edwards, Linnaeus et Latham, precedé d'une notice des principaux ouvrages zoologiques enluminés (in French). Utrecht. p. 53, Number 872.
  6. ↑ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 13.
  7. ↑ Kaup, Johann Jakob (1829). Skizzirte Entwickelungs-Geschichte und Naturliches System der Europaischen Thierwelt (in German). Vol. c. 1. Darmstadt: In commission bei Carl Wilhelm Leske. p. 53.
  8. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  110, 210. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  9. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Turacos, bustards, cuckoos, mesites, sandgrouse". World Bird List Version 9.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 Rasmussen, PC; JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions. p. 225.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Payne, RB (2005). The Cuckoos. Oxford University Press. pp. 49, 320–325.
  12. ↑ Baker, ECS (1927). Fauna of British India. Birds. Volume 4. Edition 2. Taylor and Francis, London. pp. 167–170.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Gaston, AJ (1976). "Brood Parasitism by the Pied Crested Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus". Journal of Animal Ecology. 45 (2): 331–348. Bibcode:1976JAnEc..45..331G. doi:10.2307/3878. JSTOR   3878.
  14. 1 2 Ali, S; S Dillon Ripley (1981). Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 3 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 194–198.
  15. ↑ Whistler, H (1928). "The migration of the Pied Crested Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 33 (1): 136–145.
  16. ↑ Ticehurst, Claud B (1937). "Systematic Notes on East African Birds.-Part XIV. 32 On the Relationship of Clamator serratus (Sparrm.), Clamator jacobinus pica (Hempr. & Ehr.), and Clamator hypopinarus (Cab. & Heine)". Ibis. 79 (2): 402–415. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1937.tb02182.x.
  17. ↑ Peters, JL (1940). Check-list of birds of the world. Volume 4. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. pp. 12–13.
  18. ↑ Friedmann, H (1964). Evolutionary trends in the avian genus Clamator. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collection. Volume 146. Number 4. Smithsonian Institution. pp. 1–127.
  19. ↑ Hartert, E (1915). "List of a small collection of birds from Hausaland, Northern Nigeria". Novitates Zoologicae. 22: 244–266.
  20. ↑ Osmaston, BB (1916). "The Pied Crested Cuckoo Coccystes jacobinus". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 24 (4): 821–822.
  21. ↑ Krüger, O (2004). "Breeding biology of the Cape bulbul Pycnonotus capensis: a 40 year comparison" (PDF). Ostrich. 75 (4): 211–216. Bibcode:2004Ostri..75..211K. doi:10.2989/00306520409485447. S2CID   86524534. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-08-24. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  22. ↑ Huels, TR (1982). "Co-operative feeding of conspecific and Clamator jacobinus young by Turdoides rubiginosus". Scopus. 6: 33–35.
  23. ↑ Skead CJ (1962). "Jacobin crested cuckoo Clamator jacobinus (Boddaert) parasitising the fork-tailed drongo Dicrurus adsimilis (Beckstein)". Ostrich. 33: 72–3. doi:10.1080/00306525.1962.9633437.
  24. ↑ Friedmann, H (1964). "Evolutionary trends in the genus Clamator". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 164 (4): 1–106.
  25. ↑ Bates, R.S.P. (1938). "On the parasitic habits of the Pied Crested Cuckoo". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 40 (1): 125.
  26. ↑ Bates, R.S.P. (1959). "Communal nest-feeding in Babbler". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 56 (3): 630–631.
  27. ↑ "Battle of the Birds: Hawk Tries to Kill Cuckoo". Roaring Earth. 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  28. ↑ "Hawk Tries to Kill Cuckoo Bird". latest-sightings. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  29. ↑ Jerdon, TC (1862). The Birds of India. Vol. 1. Military Orphans Press, Calcutta. p.  341.
  30. ↑ "The Mahabharata, Book 12" . Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  31. ↑ Keay, F E (1920). A history of Hindi literature. Oxford University Press. pp.  102–103.
  32. ↑ Law, Satya Churn (1923). Pet birds of Bengal (volume 1). Thacker, Spink & Co. pp.  114–115, 123.
  33. ↑ Mitra, Sarat Chandra (1924). "Studies in Bird-Myths. No. III.—On two Aetiological Myths about the Sky-Lark". Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society. 14 (2): 106–110.

Other sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.