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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Bay Coucal
Chant
Deep, hollow resonant call; powerful low-frequency notes given from dense forest floor in Madagascar.
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Chant
Soft, ventriloquial whistled phrase; clear pure notes given quietly and deceptively from dense tropical thicket.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Statut de conservation
Least Concern
Bay Coucal
Least Concern
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Bay Coucal
Plumage
Greater Coucal: glossy blue-black head and underparts; rich chestnut wings; red eye; long graduated black tail; common large coucal
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
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Bay Coucal (Centropus celebensis) — 40–45 cm. Deep chestnut body; black head, long tail, and underparts; red eye. Endemic to Sulawesi and nearby islands in forest and scrub. Non-parasitic. Omnivore foraging in dense vegetation for lizards, large insects, and frogs.
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.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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