Red-faced Malkoha

Rotgesicht - Malkoha ( Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus )

The Rotgesicht - Malkoha ( Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus ) or nude forehead cuckoo belongs to the family of cuckoos ( Cuculidae ). It is endemic to Sri Lanka.

Description

This bird reaches a length of 46 cm. He has a heavy, apple green beak. The bare red facial skin contrasted with a white cheek-stripe and a black hood. The top and chest are dark green. The upper tail-coverts are edged dark green and white. The belly is white, the under tail-coverts are white and black banded. The tail is long and graduated and feet are blue-gray or bluish green. Males and females look the same, only the young birds are colored darker.

Way of life

Its habitat is dense woods, where he is hard to detect because of its plumage coloration. There are two breeding seasons. The first is between January and April, the second between August and September. The nest is cup-shaped and its nest consists of two to three chalk-white eggs. Its diet consists of berries, insects, caterpillars and small invertebrates.

Endangering

Previously, the Rotgesicht - Malkoha of South India to Sri Lanka was widespread. But hunting and especially the destruction of the forests have replaced him a few protected areas in southern Sri Lanka. As the main threat gemstone mining, slash and burn, firewood logging and conversion of forests into agricultural land or plantations apply. Its population is estimated at from 2500 to 10,000 copies. Despite protective measures but is a drop in the population recorded so that it is classified by the IUCN as vulnerable (endangered ).