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Cuckoo
 

The Cuculidae or cuckoos are a family of near passerine birds. Many of the Old World species and some New World species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds. The best-known example is the European Common Cuckoo. The cuckoo egg hatches earlier and the chick grows faster and in most cases the chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species.

The family also includes the American cuckoos, the roadrunners, the anis, and the coucals, none of which are brood parasites. Each builds its own nests in trees or bushes. Unlike many cuckoos, the coucals lay their eggs in nests on the ground or in low shrubs. These large tropical cuckoos are capable of taking vertebrate prey such as lizards.

These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Most occur in forests, but some prefer more open country. Most are insect eaters, with hairy caterpillars, which are avoided by many birds, being a speciality.

Non-parasitic cuckoos, like most other non-passerines, lay white eggs, but many of the parasitic species lay coloured eggs to match those of their passerine hosts.

  • Malkohas have 9 primaries
  • Coccyzus, Piaya - 9 primaries
  • Cuculus - 9 or 10 primaries.
  • Hierococcyx,Pachycoccyx,Clamator levaillantii, Centropus - 10 primaries
  • Microdynamis, Eudynamys,Clamator glandarius - 11 primaries
  • Some coucals - 12 primaries
  • Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae) - 13 primaries

The group gets its English and scientific names from the call of the Common Cuckoo, which is also familiar from cuckoo clocks.

The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos (family Musophagidae, sometimes treated as a separate order, Musophagiformes). Some zoologists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, though it is now placed in an order of its own, Opisthocomiformes. The taxonomy of this enigmatic species, however, remains in some dispute.

Species list

External links

Cuculidae

kukačkovití | Cuculidae | Kukoledoj | Cuculidae | 뻐꾸기과 | Koekoek (vogel) | カッコウ科 (Sibley) | Cuculidae | Кукавица | Guguk | Зозуля | 杜鹃科

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Cuckoo".

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