Cuculus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| iCuculus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Kuckuck maennchen.jpg | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| | ||||||||||||
|
Many, see text |
Cuculus is a genus of cuckoos which has representatives in most of the Old World, although the greatest diversity is in tropical southern and southeastern Asia. The species in taxonomic order are:
- Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus
- Sulawesi Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus crassirostris
- Large Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus sparverioides
- Common Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus varius
- Moustached Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus vagans
- Hodgson's Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus fugax
- Philippine Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus pectoralis
- Red-chested Cuckoo, Cuculus solitarius
- Black Cuckoo, Cuculus clamosus
- Indian Cuckoo, Cuculus micropterus
- African Cuckoo, Cuculus gularis
- Oriental Cuckoo, Cuculus saturatus
- Horsfield's Cuckoo, Cuculus horsfieldi
- Lesser Cuckoo, Cuculus poliocephalus
- Madagascar Cuckoo, Cuculus rochii
- Pallid Cuckoo, Cuculus pallidus
These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Most occur in open forests, but some prefer more open country. Several species are migratory.
Cuculus cuckoos are brood parasites, which lay a single egg in the nests of various passerine hosts. The best-known example is the European Common Cuckoo. The female cuckoo in each case replaces one of the host’s eggs with one of her own. The cuckoo egg hatches earlier than the host’s, and the chick grows faster; in most cases the cuckoo chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species.
Non-parasitic cuckoos, like most other non-passerines, lay white eggs, but the parasitic Cuculus species lay coloured eggs to match those of their passerine hosts. Female cuckoos specialise in a particular host species, and lay eggs that closely resemble the eggs of that host.
Parasitic cuckoos are grouped into gentes, with each gente specialising in a particular host. There is some evidence that the gentes are genetically different from one another.
These are vocal species, with persistent and loud calls. They feed on large insects, with hairy caterpillars, which are distasteful to many birds, being a speciality. One or two species will also take some fruit.
[edit] References
- Barlow, Wacher and Disley, Birds of The Gambia ISBN 1-873403-32-1
- Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, Birds of India ISBN 0-691-04910-6
