Asian Emerald Cuckoo

Overview

The Asian emerald cuckoo, Chrysococcyx maculatus, is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. Although it has a very wide range across Asia, it is generally an uncommon species with a stable population.

Identification

• Males possess an iridescent dark green head, upper parts, and upper breast, contrasting with a white lower breast and green-barred belly.
• Females display coppery-green upper parts, a rusty brown crown and nape, and green-barred underparts.
• Both sexes feature orange and yellow-tipped bills with black tips and bare orange skin around the eyes.
• A white band on the underwing is visible when the bird is in flight.

Habitat

This species inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and montane forests, frequenting forest interiors and woodland margins. Its breeding range extends from the Himalayas eastwards to Myanmar, China, and northern Thailand, while it acts as a vagrant or migrant in northern India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Sumatra.

Diet

The Asian emerald cuckoo forages primarily in the upper levels of the canopy, feeding on insects and other small invertebrates such as ants, caterpillars, and bugs.

Did you know?

As a brood parasite, the female lays her eggs in the nests of other bird species, including the crimson sunbird and the little spiderhunter.