Running coua

Last updated

Running coua
Running coua (Coua cursor).jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Coua
Species:
C. cursor
Binomial name
Coua cursor
Grandidier, 1867

The running coua (Coua cursor) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

Contents

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

Description

Adult running coau are approximately 34–40 cm in length. [2] Adults appear grey-green above, with a blue and pink face outlined in black and dark blue skin around the eye. [2] The back is bright pink, outlined by black feathers. [2] The running coau's breast is purplish. [2] Juveniles have similar coloration, although duller, and without black on the face. [2]

Distribution and habitat

The running coau is endemic to Madagascar, and is found to the south and south-west of the island. [2] Its typical habitat is sub-arid thorn scrub, spiny desert, dry woodlands, and low forest bush. [2] The running coau is not globally threatened. [2]

Behavior and ecology

The running coau is a terrestrial bird, typically found alone or in a pair. [2] It walks and hops on the ground, running when threatened. [2] Its diet consists of beetles, ants, spiders, and plants. [2]

The running coau breeds during the rainy season, and lays its eggs during October. [2] It nests in a bush about 2 meters above the ground, building it's nest of twigs and bark, lined with leaf stalks. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuckoo</span> Family of birds

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuckoo-roller</span> Species of bird

The cuckoo-roller or courol is the only bird in the family Leptosomidae, which was previously often placed in the order Coraciiformes but is now placed in its own order Leptosomiformes. The cuckoo-roller is at the root of a group that contains the Trogoniformes, Bucerotiformes, Piciformes, and Coraciiformes. Despite its name, the Cuckoo-roller does not share close evolutionary origins with cuckoo or rollers at all.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volcano junco</span> Species of bird

The volcano junco is a New World sparrow endemic to the Talamancan montane forests of Costa Rica and western Panama.

<i>Coua</i> Genus of birds

Couas are large, mostly terrestrial birds of the cuckoo family, endemic to the island of Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink-billed parrotfinch</span> Species of bird

The pink-billed parrotfinch is a species of estrildid finch found on the island of Viti Levu, Fiji. Commonly found at undisturbed mature forest in the centre and east of Viti Levu, e.g. Joske's Thumb near Suva. This species is found at mid-height along tree-trunks and branches, usually alone or in pairs but also joining mixed-species flocks, feeding primarily on insects, but also on flower buds and fruits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested coua</span> Species of bird

The crested coua is a common medium sized bird member of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, mainly found in the coastal regions of the island. The crested coua is a weak flyer, so it will often be observed hopping from branch to branch in high canopies. It is distinguished mainly by its greenish-grey back, its prominent grey head crest, rufous-coloured breast, white abdomen and bright turquoise and blue patches of bare skin around the eyes. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant coua</span> Species of bird

The giant coua is a bird species from the coua genus in the cuckoo family that is endemic to the dry forests of western and southern Madagascar. It is suggested that couas probably originated from a particular Asian ground-cuckoo. Genus coua contains 10 species, more than any other genus in Madagascar. Although the bird is listed under least concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it only persists in the biological hot spot of Madagascar, warranting its recognition as a species of conservation concern at the global scale.

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

The black-throated coucal is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in West Africa in dense second growth along forest edge and grassy swamps. The subspecies found in northern and central Zaire is sometimes split as Neumann's coucal.

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

The Cocos cuckoo is a Vulnerable species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Cocos Island, an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of Costa Rica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue coua</span> Species of bird

The blue coua is a species of bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is endemic to the island of Madagascar.

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

Coquerel's coua is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It was named in 1867 by the French naturalist Alfred Grandidier in honor of the French navy surgeon and naturalist Charles Coquerel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-fronted coua</span> Species of bird

The red-fronted coua is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

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

The red-capped coua is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

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

Verreaux's coua is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. According to a BBC documentary, it is found only near a salt lake in the southern part of the island. The lake is 16 km long but only a couple of metres deep. The area has been drying out for the last 40,000 years and the organisms living here have become adapted to conserve water.

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

The banded ground cuckoo is a Endangered species of cuckoo in the tribe Neomorphini of subfamily Crotophaginae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

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

The scaled ground cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the tribe Neomorphini of subfamily Crotophaginae. It is endemic to the Amazon rainforest near the Tapajos River in Brazil.

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

The Madagascar sandgrouse is a species of bird in the family Pteroclidae. It is endemic to Madagascar and is a ground-dwelling short-legged plump bird. The head of the male is brown with a black area surrounding the beak. It has a pinkish-buff coloured breast, a light brown mottled back, brown wings and paler underparts barred with dark brown. The female has a generally duller appearance being cryptically coloured brown with dark specks and bars.

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

The Madagascar hoopoe is a species of hoopoe in the family Upupidae. It was previously considered a subspecies of the hoopoe, but was split due to its vocalisations and small differences in plumage. Some taxonomists still consider all three species conspecific. Some authorities also keep the African and Eurasian hoopoe together, but split the Madagascar hoopoe. It is endemic to Madagascar, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forest. It is a common bird and the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers its conservation status to be of least concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue vanga</span> Species of bird

The blue vanga is a bird species in the family Vangidae. It is in the monotypic genus Cyanolanius. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, and Mayotte, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

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

The yellow-throated honeyeater is a species of passerine bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It is similar in behaviour and appearance to the white-eared honeyeater and is endemic to Australia's island state of Tasmania. It was formerly considered a pest of orchards.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Coua cursor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22684164A130094351. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22684164A130094351.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Johannes Erritzøe, Clive F. Mann, Frederik Brammer, & Richard A. Fuller. (2012). Cuckoos of the World. Helm. Page 223.