The Philippine hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx pectoralis'') is a

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

belonging to the

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 somet ...

family. It is found only in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It was formerly classified as a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo but is now its own species.

Description and taxonomy

It is a medium-sized cuckoo, about 29 centimetres in length. The adult is dark-grey above and white below with a pale rufous breast and upper belly. The tail has three or four black and buff bars, a broad black band near the tip and a pale rufous tip. There is a bare yellow ring around the eye. The legs and feet are also yellow and the bill is black and olive. Immature birds have rufous barring above and brown streaks below. The bird has a high-pitched call of five to seven notes. The call lasts for about 1.5 seconds and is repeated up to 10 times, becoming louder and faster. It was formerly classified as a

of Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo (''H. fugax'') but is now commonly treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations. This species is monotypic.

Ecology and behavior

It is an insectivore, primarily feeding on caterpillars but also feeds on fruits and berries. There is not much information about its breeding habits and nesting. Its breeding season begins in April. Like most cuckoos, it is a brood parasite but host species are unknown.

Habitat and conservation status

It is found on most of the larger islands of the Philippines, occurring up to 2,300 metres above sea-level. It inhabits

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

and forest edge where it forages from near the ground up to the treetops. It is an uncommon bird and is usually shy and difficult to see. The

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

has assessed this bird as

Least-concern species A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

with the population decreasing. Extensive lowland deforestation on all islands in its range is the main threat. Most remaining lowland forest that is not afforded protection leaving it vulnerable to both legal and

Illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

, conversion into farmlands through

Slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...

and mining. Occurs in a few protected areas in

Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the largest protected area of the Philippines covering the northern range of the Sierra Madre mountains of eastern Luzon. The park is located in the eastern part of the province of Isabela in Cagayan ...

and

Bataan National Park Bataan National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the mountainous interior of Bataan province in the Central Luzon Region. Activities in the park include nature viewing, bird watching, and trekking to its several peaks and w ...

on Luzon,

Pasonanca Natural Park The Pasonanca Natural Park is a List of protected areas of the Philippines, protected area that preserves a major watershed in the southern Philippines, Philippine island of Mindanao in the Zamboanga Peninsula. It contains the headwaters of the ...

in Mindanao,

Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape The Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape is a protected landscape area of forested limestone hills, grasslands and natural springs in the island province of Bohol in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It is the largest remaining tract of ...

in Bohol and

Samar Island Natural Park The Samar Island Natural Park, in Samar, is the largest contiguous tract of old-growth forest in the Philippines. It is the country's largest terrestrial protected area, with an area of . The buffer is spread north to south over the island's three ...

but actual protection and enforcement from

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

and hunting are lax.

References

*Fisher, Tim & Hicks, Nigel (2000) ''A Photographic Guide to Birds of the Philippines'', New Holland, London. *Kennedy, Robert S.; Gonzales, Pedro C,; Dickinson, Edward C.; Miranda, Hector C. & Fisher, Timothy H. (2000) ''A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines'', Oxford University Press, Oxford. *Peterson, Alan P. (ed.) (1999)
Zoological Nomenclature Resource (Zoonomen).
' Accessed 22/08/07. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1261791 Philippine hawk-cuckoo Endemic birds of the Philippines Philippine hawk-cuckoo Taxa named by Jean Cabanis Taxa named by Ferdinand Heine