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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Chant
Soft, ventriloquial whistled phrase; clear pure notes given quietly and deceptively from dense tropical thicket.
Raffles's Malkoha
Chant
Loud, far-carrying resonant call; deep powerful notes audible through dense forest in Southeast Asia.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Statut de conservation
Least Concern
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Least Concern
Raffles's Malkoha
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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
Raffles's Malkoha
Plumage
Crested Coua: blue-gray body; white below; brilliant blue and red bare facial skin; long tail white-tipped; Madagascar forest species
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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.
Raffles's Malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea) — 30–35 cm. Slender; rufous above with green gloss; pale grey below; long white-tipped tail; red bill and orbital skin. Inhabits primary and tall secondary forest of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. Non-parasitic; forages in the mid-storey. Insectivore; eats caterpillars and large insects.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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