Chestnut-breasted malkoha

Phaenicophaeus curvirostris

Photo by Lip Kee Yap (Wikipedia)

Common name:
chestnut-breasted malkoha (en); malcoa-de-peito-castanho (pt); malcoha rouverdin (fr); malcoha pechicastaño (es); schimmerkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Thailand and Myanmar, through peninsular Malaysia and into Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali in Indonesia, and Palawan in the Philippines.

Size:
These birds are 42-49 cm long and weigh about 120 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut-breasted malkoha is found in moist tropical forests, mangroves, dry tropical scrublands, second growths, rural gardens and plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects, including caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, beetles, cockroaches, stick insects, mantids and bugs, as well as spiders, small crabs, and small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs and young birds.

Breeding:
Unlike most cuckoos, chestnut-breasted malkohas raise their own young. They can breed all year round, varying between different parts of their range. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a large bowl made of branches and twigs lined with leaves. The female lays 2-3 matte white eggs which are incubated by both parents for about 13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge around 11 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be fairly common to common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.