Crested coua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crested coua |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| At Anjajavy Forest, Madagascar | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Coua
|
| Species: |
cristata
|
 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The crested coua (Coua cristata) is a cool, medium-sized bird. It belongs to the cuckoo family, called Cuculidae. This bird lives only on the island of Madagascar, mostly near the coasts. Crested couas are not very strong flyers. Instead, they often hop from branch to branch high up in the trees. You can spot them by their greenish-grey back, a spiky grey crest on their head, a reddish-brown chest, and a white belly. They also have bright turquoise and blue skin patches around their eyes!
Contents
What Does a Crested Coua Look Like?
Adult Birds
Adult crested couas are about 12 to 17 inches (30 to 44 cm) long. Their back feathers are greenish-grey, their belly is white, and their chest is a reddish-brown color. They have brown eyes. Their long tail is purplish-blue with white tips. Their beak is black.
A special feature is their prominent grey head crest. Like all couas, they have colorful bare skin around their eyes. For crested couas, this skin is bright blue and turquoise. When they fly, you can see their short, rounded wings and long, white-tipped tail.
These birds have a unique third toe that can point backward or forward. This helps them grip branches very strongly! Even though they are common in Madagascar, they can be hard to spot. Their greenish-grey feathers help them blend in with the shadows, acting like camouflage. Male and female crested couas look very similar.
Young Birds
Young crested couas, called juveniles, look a lot like the adults. However, their colors are usually paler. Their head crest is shorter, and they don't have the bright blue and turquoise rings around their eyes yet.
Baby Chicks
Baby coua chicks are born altricial. This means they are born naked and helpless. They need their parents to feed and care for them completely. When they are very young, they have special red and white "bullseyes" inside their mouths. Scientists think these markings help parents know exactly where to put the food, especially when it's dark. At this stage, their skin is dark, and their beak is reddish.
Where Do Crested Couas Live?
Crested couas live only in Madagascar. They are the most widespread type of coua on the island. They can be found as high as 900 meters (about 3,000 feet) above sea level. But you'll most often see them around 700 meters (about 2,300 feet) high.
These birds mostly live in coastal and dry forests. But you might also find them in open areas like savannas and brushlands. Sometimes, they even live in mangrove swamps or palm trees. They prefer areas where forests and farmlands mix. Since they are tree-dwelling birds, they usually stay in the forest layers above five meters (about 16 feet). They build their nests, on average, about nine meters (about 30 feet) off the ground.
What Are the Threats to Crested Couas?
The crested coua is listed as a least concerned species. This means their populations are currently stable. However, their numbers are slowly going down. This is mainly because their homes are being lost or damaged. People also hunt them.
Humans sometimes hunt crested couas for their meat. But their main natural predators are fossas, hawks, and eagles.
How Do Crested Couas Behave?
Crested couas can fly, but they are not strong flyers. So, you'll often see them hopping quickly between branches in the trees. They use their long tail to keep balance. Their special reversible toe helps them grip branches tightly. These birds are quite secretive. Outside of breeding season, they usually stay in small groups of three to five birds. They don't usually fly in large groups, but sometimes they join other bird species.
Their Calls
Crested couas are very noisy birds! They have many different calls you can hear in the wild. Some common calls sound like "laser gun calls," which are sharp, piercing sounds. They also make a doubled, wooden "touk-touk" sound. You might also hear calls like "koa-koa-koa" and "guay-guay-guay-guay-gwuck." Their calls can sometimes warn other animals that a predator is nearby.
Like many birds, couas tend to call more around sunset. They often join in a chorus with other bird species. When they call, they also raise their head crest!
How They Reproduce
Crested couas usually form monogamous pairs for breeding. This means one male and one female stay together. Unlike some other cuckoos, crested couas do not lay their eggs in other birds' nests. Instead, both parents work together to raise their chicks.
The pair builds their own nest out of twigs. They hide it in trees or bushes to keep it safe from predators. The female lays two white eggs. Both parents take turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm. The chicks are born helpless, and both parents help raise them. The young birds leave the nest when they are about two weeks old.
Couas don't have many chicks at once. But they can live for a long time, up to 15 years in zoos! This means they can afford to have smaller broods. Also, because their chicks grow up quickly, they can have several sets of chicks in one breeding season. This season lasts from September to March.
What They Eat
Crested couas eat a variety of foods. They are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Their diet includes insects, spiders, fruits, berries, snails, small lizards like chameleons, leaves, and seeds. They basically eat anything small enough that they find in their environment!
Images for kids
-
At Weltvogelpark Walsrode, Germany
_-_Weltvogelpark_Walsrode_2013-08%E2%80%94130718_0206.jpg)
