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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Andaman Coucal
Song
Melodic, whistled phrase with clear quality; pure resonant notes carrying across African woodland habitat.
Lesser Roadrunner
Song
Loud, call carrying far; distinctive hollow notes audible across dry open Central American terrain. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Conservation Status
Least Concern
Andaman Coucal
Least Concern
Lesser Roadrunner
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Andaman Coucal
Plumage
Chinese Coucal: dark brown above; rufous wings; pale buff below; long dark tail; red eye; streaked in winter plumage; Asian species
Lesser Roadrunner
Plumage
Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo: rich rufous below; dark olive-brown above; blue orbital ring; rufous vent; long tail; ground dweller
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Andaman Coucal (Centropus andamanensis) — 42–47 cm. Chestnut back and wings; black head and underparts; long graduated tail. Endemic to the Andaman Islands, India, in forest and scrub. Non-parasitic. Omnivore. Previously treated as a subspecies of Greater Coucal.
Lesser Roadrunner (Geococcyx velox) — 46–52 cm. Similar to Greater Roadrunner but smaller with a more streaked breast. Found in dry scrub, open woodland, and arid valleys from Mexico to Nicaragua. Non-parasitic; carnivorous; eats insects and small vertebrates. Shares the same terrestrial running lifestyle as its northern relative.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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