Couas
Coua Photo Gallery
Couas are large, mostly terrestrial birds in the cuckoo family, endemic to the island of Madagascar. Their name Coua is an onomatopoeic rendering of the call note of some species.
They are reminiscent of African Turacos when walking along tree branches, and like them feature brightly colored fleshy areas around the eyes. Some resemble Coucals in their habit of clambering through plant tangles while foraging. The arboreal species move between tree canopies with gliding flight. Four species occur(red) in rainforests while the remaining six are found in the dry forests of western and southern Madagascar.
They have large feet, with a reversible third toe like all cuckoos. Their long tibia suggest a relationship with the Ground-Cuckoos (Carpococcyx) of Asia, a genus with similar nestlings. Consequently they are sometimes united in the subfamily Couinae. Couas build their own nests and lay white eggs. Couas' calls are short series of evenly spaced notes, which are sometimes answered by other individuals.
Systematics
- Ancient Coua, Coua primaeva – prehistoric
- Bertha's Coua, Coua berthae – prehistoric
- Running Coua, Coua cursor: The Running Coua (Coua cursor) is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
- Giant Coua, Coua gigas
- Delalande's Coua, Coua delalandei – extinct (late 19th century)
- Coquerel's Coua, Coua coquereli: The Coquerel's Coua (Coua coquereli) is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.
- Red-breasted Coua, Coua serriana: The Red-breasted Coua (Coua serriana) is endemic to Madagascar
- Red-fronted Coua, Coua reynaudii: The Red-fronted Coua (Coua reynaudii) is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Red-capped Coua, Coua ruficeps: The Red-capped Coua (Coua ruficeps) is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
- Crested Coua, Coua cristata
- Coua cristata maxima – only known from a single specimen; possibly extinct (late 20th century) or a hybrid.
- Verreaux's Coua, Coua verreauxi: Verreaux's Coua (Coua verreauxi) is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. Its name commemorates French ornithologist and collector Jules Verreaux.
- Blue Coua, Coua caerulea
References
- Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, Sinclair and Langrand, 1998. ISBN 1 86872 035 7
- The Cuckoos, Robert B. Payne and Karen Klitz, 2005. ISBN 0 19 850213 3
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.org.
Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
