Ivory-billed Coucal vs Sulawesi Cuckoo

Centropus menbeki compared with Cuculus crassirostris

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Ivory-billed Coucal Sulawesi Cuckoo
Scientific Name Centropus menbeki Cuculus crassirostris
Order Cuculiformes Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae Cuculidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length — —
Wingspan 43.6 cm (17.2 in) 41.2 cm (16.2 in)
Weight 461.25 g (16.27 oz) 85.0 g (3.00 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size -- --
Population Trend — —

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Ivory-billed Coucal only

None

Sulawesi Cuckoo only

None

Song & Call Comparison

Ivory-billed Coucal

Song

Harsh, far-carrying call with deep quality; resonant rough notes carrying across African lowland forest.

Sulawesi Cuckoo

Song

Loud, raucous call with harsh quality; penetrating notes carrying through dense forest in Asia. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Ivory-billed Coucal

Least Concern

Sulawesi Cuckoo

How to Tell Them Apart

Ivory-billed Coucal

Sulawesi Cuckoo

Plumage

Sulawesi Cuckoo: dark gray-brown above; pale below; long dark tail; yellow orbital ring; Sulawesi endemic; larger than most Cuculus

About These Birds

Ivory-billed Coucal

Ivory-billed Coucal (Centropus menbeki) — 60–68 cm. Very large; blackish-brown overall with a pale ivory-coloured heavy bill; long graduated tail. Found in forest and tall secondary growth of New Guinea and Aru Islands. Non-parasitic; builds an enclosed grass nest. Omnivorous; takes large invertebrates, lizards, frogs, and small mammals.

Sulawesi Cuckoo

Sulawesi Cuckoo (Cuculus crassirostris) — 30–34 cm. Dark grey above; pale below with bold brown-grey barring; heavier bill than most Cuculus. Endemic to Sulawesi in montane forest. Brood parasite. Insectivore. Poorly known.

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