Alternative name: Little Long-billed Cuckoo
- Chrysococcyx megarhynchus
Identification
18cm.
Male
- Dark brown upperparts
- Black head
- Dull greyish brown underparts
- Red eye-ring and eye
- Long black bill with drooping tip
Female
- Dark cinnamon upperparts
- Dark grey-brown head
- Rufous buff breast and belly finely barred, lower breast cinnamon
- Dark brown eye with narrow cream outer ring
Juveniles have cinnmaon upperparts, a pale grey and brown face and a dark eye-ring.
Distribution
Found in New Guinea and adjacent islands (Aru Islands and Waigeo).
Rare and local.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies recognized:
- C. m. megarhynchus in New Guinea (Vogelkop and interior of northern coast east to Kumusi River) and Aru Islands.
- C. m. sanfordi on Waigeo Island
sanfordi is only known from one specimen and not always recognized.
Formerly placed in genus Rhamphomantis.
Habitat
Moist tall lowland forest.
Occurs in lowlands.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects. Takes mainly caterpillars and flying ant.
Forages by gleaning prey from foliage, bark or branches.
Breeding
Not known. A female with egg in oviduct ready to lay was caught in September.
Vocalisation
A loud, distinct trill, a descending series of evenly spaced notes, lasting four seconds.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1997. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334221
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Long-billed Cuckoo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Long-billed_Cuckoo
