Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo

Overview

The coral-billed ground cuckoo, also known as Renauld's ground cuckoo, is a large, terrestrial species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Adults: Glossy violet-black head, neck, upper breast, primaries, and tail, with a white band below the neck and white underparts; back, rump, and secondaries are grey.
• Bill and Legs: Bright red in adults; blackish-brown in juveniles.
• Eye area: Adults possess a bare patch of red and violet-coloured skin around the eyes, whereas juveniles have grey skin in this area.
• Size: Large terrestrial bird growing up to 56–70 cm in length.

Habitat

This species is found throughout Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitat consists of broad-leaf evergreen forest characterised by dense vegetation and ground cover.

Diet

Primarily omnivorous, the species feeds on insects, small reptiles, and small mammals. It has also been reported to consume food refuse from restaurants in Thailand, while captive specimens have accepted meat, worms, bread, and boiled maize.

Did you know?

On one recorded occasion, a nest failed as a result of predation by a pig-tailed macaque.