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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Song
Soft, ventriloquial whistled phrase; clear pure notes given quietly and deceptively from dense tropical thicket.
Banded Ground-cuckoo
Song
Loud, deep resonant booming call; powerful bass notes carrying across dense lowland tropical forest.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Conservation Status
Least Concern
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Vulnerable
Banded Ground-cuckoo
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
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
Banded Ground-cuckoo
Plumage
Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo: dark brown above; buff below; rufous wing patches visible in flight; long tail; blue orbital ring; ground
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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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.
Banded Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus) — 48–52 cm. Dark brown; broad black breast bands; rufous belly; vivid blue orbital skin. Endemic to wet foothill forest of Colombia and Ecuador. Non-parasitic; follows army ant columns. Insectivore. Endangered due to severe habitat loss in its restricted range.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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