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The red-faced malkoha (''Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus'') is a member of the
This is a large species at 46 cm with a long graduated tail. Its back is dark green, and the uppertail is green edged with white. The belly and undertail are white, the latter being barred black. The crown and throat are black, and the lower face white. There is a large red patch around the eye and the bill is green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are much duller.
The red-faced malkoha takes a variety of insects including caterpillars, giant stick insects, mantises and small vertebrates such as lizard. It occasionally may eat berries but this needs confirmation.Salgado, Amila (2006) Some observations on the diet of Red-faced Malkoha
Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus in Sri Lanka. Forktail 22:122-12
PDF
/ref> Unlike most cuckoos, this is a quiet species, making only the odd soft grunt.
BirdLife Species Factsheet.
Photographs from the Oriental Bird Club
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1067009 red-faced malkoha Endemic birds of Sri Lanka red-faced malkoha Taxa named by Thomas Pennant
cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
order of bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s, the Cuculiformes. This malkoha
Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, co ...
species is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to Sri Lanka
Description
This is a large species at 46 cm with a long graduated tail. Its back is dark green, and the uppertail is green edged with white. The belly and undertail are white, the latter being barred black. The crown and throat are black, and the lower face white. There is a large red patch around the eye and the bill is green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are much duller.
The red-faced malkoha takes a variety of insects including caterpillars, giant stick insects, mantises and small vertebrates such as lizard. It occasionally may eat berries but this needs confirmation.Salgado, Amila (2006) Some observations on the diet of Red-faced Malkoha
Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus in Sri Lanka. Forktail 22:122-12/ref> Unlike most cuckoos, this is a quiet species, making only the odd soft grunt.
Distribution
It isendemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to Sri Lanka although some old records have apparently erroneously referred to its presence in southern India. According to Baker (1934),Baker, E.C.S. 1934. Nidification of birds of the Indian Empire. Vol III, Taylor & Francis, London. it is found in the 'South of Travancore, where it was obtained by Stewart together with its nests'. Later, Biddulph reported a red-faced malkoha in Madurai district, southern Tamil Nadu. Thilo Hoffmann later pointed out that this record would not stand up to a modern records committee, and it is now best disregarded.
The presence of red-faced malkoha in the island is largely confined to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a forest reserve and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
According to International Union for Conse ...
and the surrounding vegetation, which is one of the biodiversity hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the c ...
s in the world.
Habitat
The red-faced malkoha is a bird of dense forests, where it can be difficult to see despite its size and colour.Breeding biology
It nests in a tree, the typical clutch being 2-3 eggs.Behaviour
They are found in nearly half of themixed-species foraging flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These ar ...
s in the Sinharaja area.
In culture
The common name for this species ''malkoha
Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, co ...
'' is the vernacular name for the bird in Sinhala language
Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also s ...
. 'Mal-Koha' translates to 'flower-cuckoo'. The red-faced malkoha appears in a 5 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp.
References
External links
BirdLife Species Factsheet.
Photographs from the Oriental Bird Club
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1067009 red-faced malkoha Endemic birds of Sri Lanka red-faced malkoha Taxa named by Thomas Pennant