Blue Malkoha

Overview

The blue malkoha, also known as the chattering yellowbill, is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It was formerly considered conspecific with the green malkoha before being split in 2016. This species is widely distributed across the African tropical rainforest and is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Possesses a heavy yellow bill with a greyish belly, head and throat.
• Back, wings and tail are greenish and blue in the subspecies C. aereus aereus, while entirely blue in C. aereus flavirostris.
• Displays secretive behaviour, making it rarely observed despite its presence in the habitat.

Habitat

The blue malkoha is found in African tropical rainforests. Its range extends from Gambia to western Kenya, northern Zambia, Angola and Bioko.

Diet

Primarily feeds on insects such as caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers and crickets, though it also consumes frogs, slugs, fruit, seeds and leaves. It moves through tangled vegetation with small hops, snatching prey, and will accompany other birds and squirrels to catch insects they flush out.

Did you know?

Unlike many other cuckoos, the blue malkoha is not a brood parasite and instead cares for its own young. Both parents share the responsibility of rearing chicks from a nest that is a rough mass of sticks suspended 2–5 m above the ground.