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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Madagascar Cuckoo	Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo
Scientific Name	Cuculus rochii	Neomorphus rufipennis
Order	Cuculiformes	Cuculiformes
Family	Cuculidae	Cuculidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	—
Wingspan	32.7 cm (12.9 in)	34.1 cm (13.4 in)
Weight	62.0 g (2.19 oz)	381.25 g (13.45 oz)
Diet	--	--
Clutch Size	--	--
Population Trend	—	—

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

🌲 Forest

Madagascar Cuckoo only

🌿 Wetland

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo only

None

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Song & Call Comparison

Madagascar Cuckoo

Song

Loud, raucous call with harsh quality; penetrating notes carrying through dense forest in Madagascar.

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

Song

Deep, hollow resonant call; powerful low-frequency sound carrying across dense lowland tropical forest floor.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Madagascar Cuckoo

Least Concern

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

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How to Tell Them Apart

Madagascar Cuckoo

Plumage

Madagascar Cuckoo: gray above; white below with rufous barring; long dark tail; yellow eye-ring; Madagascar migratory species

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

Plumage

Pheasant Coucal: dark glossy black head and body; rufous-brown wings; strongly barred dark tail; reddish eye; terrestrial habits

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About These Birds

Madagascar Cuckoo

Madagascar Cuckoo (Cuculus rochii) — 26–29 cm. Grey above; barred underparts; yellow orbital ring. Summer visitor to Madagascar; winters to East Africa. Brood parasite targeting Madagascar warblers and other small passerines. Insectivore. The only truly migratory cuckoo of the Western Indian Ocean region.

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus rufipennis) — 46–50 cm. Bronze-green above; rufous wing panels; pale buff below. Found in humid forest of Venezuela, Guyana, and northern Brazil. Non-parasitic; follows army ants. Insectivore and small vertebrate predator. Rarely encountered; Near Threatened.

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More Birds to Explore

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