The pavonine cuckoo (''Dromococcyx pavoninus'') is a

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

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 ...

with a long graduated tail and a short crest. It is one of three species of Neotropical cuckoo which are known to be brood parasites.

Description

The head and crest of this bird is rusty brown and the remaining plumage is mainly dark brown above and paler below, with a rich buff coloured supercilium, throat and breast. It is similar in appearance to the

pheasant cuckoo The pheasant cuckoo (''Dromococcyx phasianellus'') is a species of neotropical cuckoo in the subfamily Neomorphinae of the family Cuculidae. It is native to Central and South America where it occurs in lowland tropical forest. Description The p ...

but has a slightly different call and is larger overall. Additionally, the buff supercilium, throat and breast of the pheasant cuckoo is paler than in the pavonine cuckoo and the throat and breast of the pheasant cuckoo are heavily marked while those areas of the pavonine cuckoo have no dark spots or streaks.

Distribution and habitat

The pavonine cuckoo inhabits the understorey of subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

s in South America, where it is found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, Bolivia,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, Colombia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

, Guyana,

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. It has a wide range but a patchy distribution, being absent from some areas where it might have been expected to be present.

Behaviour

Little is known of the behaviour of this widespread, but shy and skulking, bird, which people hear far more often than they see. It appears to be a mainly solitary species. It has a curious appearance when in flight, resembling the flapping wings of a butterfly. The tail is spread and the wingbeats are slow and measured, and there is a brief pause when they are at the top of their beat above the bird.

Breeding

The pavonine cuckoo is a brood parasite, a rare breeding strategy in the Amazon. Among its known host species which includes drab-breasted bamboo tyrant, ochre-faced tody-flycatcher, eared pygmy tyrant and

plain antvireo The plain antvireo (''Dysithamnus mentalis'') is a passerine bird species in the antbird family (Thamnophilidae). It is a resident breeder in tropical Central and South America. Taxonomy The plain antvireo was described by the Dutch zoologist C ...

. As with other parasitic cuckoos, parental care of eggs and young is provided by the host species. The female lays a single egg per parasitised nest; unlike other cuckoos the eggs are not very similar to the eggs of the host. On hatching the cuckoo chick kills any host chicks or removes their eggs. Chicks remain in their host's nests for 24 days after hatching.

Feeding

It diet is little known but consists mainly of insects. mostly orthoptera. It is normally seen on the ground or in forest understorey, which is probably where it hunts for its insect food.

Status

The pavonine cuckoo is listed by the IUCN as being of "

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

". No particular threats have been identified and the bird has a wide range and presumed large population. The population trend is likely to be downward but not at such a rate as to justify putting this bird in a more threatened category.

References

External links

Image
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1262999

pavonine cuckoo The pavonine cuckoo (''Dromococcyx pavoninus'') is a Neotropical cuckoo with a long graduated tail and a short crest. It is one of three species of Neotropical cuckoo which are known to be brood parasites. Description The head and crest of this ...

Birds of the Bolivian Amazon Birds of the Peruvian Amazon Birds of the Venezuelan Amazon Birds of Colombia Birds of Venezuela Birds of the Guianas

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot