The red-faced malkoha (''Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus'') is a member of 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 ...

order of

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 ...

s, the Cuculiformes. This malkoha species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

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. Sexual dimorphism present where males are having dark brown iris and females are with creamy white iris. Juveniles are with much duller plumage.Dayananda, Salindra (2023) Red-faced Malkoha: A Sri Lankan Endemic Bir

/ref> 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
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/ref> Unlike most cuckoos, this is a quiet species, making only the odd soft grunt.

Distribution

It is

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 Conserv ...

and the surrounding vegetation, which is one of the

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a ecoregion, 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 ...

s in the world. Red Faced Malkoha

Habitat

The red-faced malkoha is a bird of dense forests, where it can be difficult to see despite its size and colour. It prefers low country wet zone forests, sub-montane forests, montane forests and riverine forests in few dry zone forests in Sri Lanka. It can be seen in most of the largest rain forest patches in the wet zone and in dry zone

Yala National Park Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka, bordering the Indian Ocean. The park consists of five blocks, three of which are now open to the public. There are also two adjoining parks, Kumana National Pa ...

, Lahugala National Park, Wasgamuwa National Park and Udawalawe National Park.

Breeding biology

It makes a deep cup nest in a well concealed foliage in sub canopy level, generally between 5-12 m height. The typical clutch being 2-3 eggs. Both male and females are engaging in nest building process.

Behaviour

They are found in nearly half of the

mixed-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 (birds), flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while fora ...

s in the Sinharaja area. Most of the individuals of Red-faced Malkohas which participate in the mixed-species bird flocks tend to prefer in the front of the flock. There is a high probability to see this cryptic bird in the flock if you observe the front half of the flock.

In culture

The common name for this species '' malkoha'' is the vernacular name for the bird in

Sinhala language Sinhala ( ; Sinhala: , , ), 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. It is also the first ...

. 'Mal-Koha' translates to 'flower-cuckoo'. The red-faced malkoha appears in a 5

rupee Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currency, currencies of Indian rupee, India, Mauritian rupee, Mauritius, Nepalese rupee, Nepal, Pakistani rupee, Pakistan, Seychellois rupee, Seychelles, and Sri Lankan rupee, Sri Lanka, and of former cu ...

n 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