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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Lesser Ground-cuckoo	Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo
Scientific Name	Morococcyx erythropygus	Neomorphus rufipennis
Order	Cuculiformes	Cuculiformes
Family	Cuculidae	Cuculidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	—
Wingspan	19.8 cm (7.8 in)	34.1 cm (13.4 in)
Weight	66.6 g (2.35 oz)	381.25 g (13.45 oz)
Diet	--	--
Clutch Size	2	--
Population Trend	—	—

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Lesser Ground-cuckoo only

None

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo only

🌲 Forest

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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.

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

Lesser Ground-cuckoo

Least Concern

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

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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

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

Lesser Ground-cuckoo

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.

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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