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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Lesser Ground-cuckoo	Red-billed Malkoha
Scientific Name	Morococcyx erythropygus	Zanclostomus javanicus
Order	Cuculiformes	Cuculiformes
Family	Cuculidae	Cuculidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	—
Wingspan	19.8 cm (7.8 in)	28.8 cm (11.3 in)
Weight	66.6 g (2.35 oz)	115.5 g (4.07 oz)
Diet	--	--
Clutch Size	2	--
Population Trend	—	—

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

None

Lesser Ground-cuckoo only

None

Red-billed Malkoha 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.

Red-billed Malkoha

Song

Sharp, staccato chip note; clean emphatic sound repeated rhythmically from dense tropical scrub habitat.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Lesser Ground-cuckoo

Least Concern

Red-billed Malkoha

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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

Red-billed Malkoha

Plumage

Olive-capped Coua: olive-green crown; gray body; white below; bare blue facial skin; long graduated tail; Madagascar species; olive cap

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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.

Red-billed Malkoha

Red-billed Malkoha (Zanclostomus javanicus) — 38–44 cm. Blue-green above with a rufous belly; bright red bill and bare red orbital skin; long white-tipped tail. Inhabits primary and tall secondary forest of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Java. Non-parasitic. Insectivore feeding on large caterpillars and invertebrates.

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