Soft, ventriloquial whistled phrase; clear pure notes given quietly and deceptively from dense tropical thicket.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Conservation Status
Near Threatened
Biak Coucal
Least Concern
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Biak Coucal
Plumage
Black-hooded Coucal: black hood contrasting brown mantle; rufous-brown wings; pale buff below; long dark tail; red eye; bold hood
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Plumage
Greater Roadrunner: boldly streaked brown above; white-cream below with dark streaks; long tail; shaggy crest; bare facial skin; fast runner
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Biak Coucal (Centropus chalybeus) — 42–48 cm. Glossy blue-black above; chestnut-rufous wings; pale buff underparts; heavy bill. Endemic to Biak Island, Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Inhabits lowland and foothill forest. Non-parasitic. Omnivore. Listed as Vulnerable due to its very restricted island range and ongoing habitat degradation.
Lesser Ground-cuckoo (Morococcyx erythropygus) — 28 cm. Brown above; chestnut rump; whitish underparts; bare blue orbital skin. Inhabits dry and semi-arid scrub from Mexico to Costa Rica. Non-parasitic; builds its own nest in low shrubs. Runs on the ground hunting large insects, lizards, and amphibians. Monotypic genus endemic to Mesoamerica.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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