Raffles's malkoha

Raffles's malkoha
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Rhinortha Vigors, 1830
Species:	R. chlorophaea
Binomial name
Rhinortha chlorophaea (Raffles, 1822)
Synonyms
Cuculus chlorophaeusRaffles, 1822 Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus(Raffles, 1822)

Raffles's malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea) is a species of cuckoo (family Cuculidae). It was formerly often placed in Phaenicophaeus with the other malkohas, but it appears to not be very closely related to the true malkohas ^[2] . It exhibits several autapomorphies and sexual dimorphism (which its presumed relatives all lack).

It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. It was once found in Singapore but is now considered extirpated. ^[3] Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. ^[1]

Its diet consists of insects, including caterpillars, cicadas, crickets, beetles, and locusts. ^[4]

During courtship, the male Raffles's malkoha has been observed to stand on the base of the female's outstretched wings and hold a frog in its bill. It is unclear whether the frog is a gift to the female or whether the male keeps it afterward. ^[4]

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Rhinortha chlorophaea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T22684107A93014746. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22684107A93014746.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
2. Payne, Robert B.; Sorenson, Michael D. (2005). The cuckoos. Bird families of the world. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-850213-5.
3. Seng, Lim Kim; Li, Yong Ding; Chuah, Lim Kim (2020). Birds of Malaysia & Singapore. Princeton University Press. p. 144. ISBN   978-0-691-20990-6.
4. Das, Indraneil; Hazebroek, Hans; Grafe, Ulmar (2021). "Leptomantis fasciatus (Boulenger, 1895) as a possible nuptial gift offered by a male Raffles's Malkoha, Rhinortha chlorophaea (Raffles, 1822)". Herpetology Notes. 14. Retrieved 4 March 2025.