Chestnut-winged cuckoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chestnut-winged cuckoo |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chestnut-winged cuckoo in Guwahati, Assam, July 2020 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Clamator
|
| Species: |
coromandus
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Cuculus coromandus Linnaeus, 1766 |
|
The chestnut-winged cuckoo (also called the red-winged crested cuckoo) is a cool bird found in parts of Asia. Its scientific name is Clamator coromandus. This cuckoo has dark, shiny feathers on its back and a black head with a long crest. Its wings are a pretty chestnut color. It also has a long, shiny black tail and a reddish-brown throat. A thin white band around its neck makes it easy to spot.
These birds live along the Himalayas during summer. When winter comes, they fly south. They travel to places like Sri Lanka, southern India, and tropical Southeast Asia. This includes countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. A grown-up chestnut-winged cuckoo is about 47 centimeters (18.5 inches) long.
What Does It Look Like?
This cuckoo is dark with a crest on its head. Its wings are a chestnut color. It has a glossy black crest, which is like a fancy feathery hat. The tail feathers get shorter in steps from the middle outwards. The tips of these tail feathers are white, but they are hard to see. Another cuckoo, the Jacobin cuckoo, has more noticeable white tail tips.
The black color on its head is separated from its black back. A white collar goes around its neck and down the sides. Its belly and chest are reddish-brown. This color turns to dark gray near its tail. Young cuckoos look a bit different. Their feathers are dusky and have a scaly look on their wings.
Where Does It Live?
The chestnut-winged cuckoo lives across a wide area. You can find it from the western Himalayas all the way to the eastern Himalayas. Its home also stretches into Southeast Asia. This bird has been seen in many countries. These include India, Nepal, China, Indonesia, Laos, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. Some groups of these cuckoos might stay in one place all year. They might not migrate.
When these cuckoos migrate in India, they often fly along the Eastern Ghats. Sometimes, tired birds are found near people's homes. In mid-October, many of them gather at Point Calimere. From there, they might fly to Sri Lanka. Some cuckoos also spend their winter in the Western Ghats.
How Does It Behave?
This cuckoo usually flies alone. But sometimes, it joins other types of birds when they are looking for food. The breeding season for these cuckoos is during the summer. They are known for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds. They often choose the nests of Garrulax laughingthrushes. These include birds like G. monileger and G. pectoralis. The eggs of the chestnut-winged cuckoo are very round.
Their calls sound like two flute-like notes. They repeat these notes with short breaks in between.
