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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Running Coua
Gesang
Loud, shrill call with penetrating quality; high resonant notes carrying powerfully through dense forest.
African Cuckoo
Gesang
Loud, far-carrying raucous call; harsh penetrating notes given from tall African forest canopy. 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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Erhaltungsstatus
Least Concern
Running Coua
Least Concern
African Cuckoo
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Running Coua
Gefieder
Sumatran Ground-cuckoo: dark glossy green above; rufous-buff below; blue facial skin; long tail; heavy curved bill; Sumatran endemic
African Cuckoo
Gefieder
African Cuckoo: gray above; white below with rufous barring; long dark tail; yellow eye-ring; African migrant similar to Common
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Running Coua (Coua cursor) — 38–42 cm. Pale grey-brown above; whitish below; bare blue-and-red orbital skin; long tail held upright; strongly terrestrial. Restricted to the arid south and southwest of Madagascar in sandy scrub and dry thicket. Non-parasitic; runs rapidly across open ground. Omnivore.
African Cuckoo (Cuculus gularis) — 32–35 cm. Very similar to Common Cuckoo; grey above; barred below; yellow bill base and orbital ring; long tail. Migratory intra-African breeder across sub-Saharan woodland and savanna. Brood parasite primarily targeting fork-tailed drongos. Insectivore.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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