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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Black-hooded Coucal
Song
Loud, booming call with deep resonance; powerful notes carrying across humid West African lowland forest.
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Song
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
Critically Endangered
Black-hooded 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
Black-hooded Coucal
Plumage
Kai Coucal: dark brown above with iridescent sheen; rufous wings; pale buff below; long dark tail; orange-red eye; Kai island endemic
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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Black-hooded Coucal (Centropus steerii) — 40–45 cm. Rufous-chestnut body; entirely black head and upper breast; long tail. Endemic to Mindoro island, Philippines, in lowland forest and scrub. Non-parasitic. Omnivore. Vulnerable; tiny range and threatened by deforestation and hunting.
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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