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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Running Coua
Song
Loud, shrill call with penetrating quality; high resonant notes carrying powerfully through dense forest.
Dark Hawk-Cuckoo
Song
Loud, raucous call with harsh quality; penetrating notes carrying through dense forest in South Asia.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Conservation Status
Least Concern
Running Coua
Least Concern
Dark Hawk-Cuckoo
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Running Coua
Plumage
Sumatran Ground-cuckoo: dark glossy green above; rufous-buff below; blue facial skin; long tail; heavy curved bill; Sumatran endemic
Dark Hawk-Cuckoo
Plumage
Dark Hawk-Cuckoo: dark brown above; pale below with dense dark barring; hawk-like; long barred tail; yellow orbital ring; dark morph
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Running Coua (Coua cursor) — 38–42 cm. Pale grey-brown above; whitish below; bare blue-and-red orbital skin; long tail held upright; strongly terrestrial. Restricted to the arid south and southwest of Madagascar in sandy scrub and dry thicket. Non-parasitic; runs rapidly across open ground. Omnivore.
Dark Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx bocki) — 28–31 cm. Dark grey above; pale below with darker streaking; barred tail. Restricted to montane forest of the Malay Peninsula. Brood parasite. Insectivore. Rare; poorly documented.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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