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

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

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 sometimes separ ...

family. It is found only in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It was formerly classified as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx nisicolor''), also known as the whistling hawk-cuckoo is a species of cuckoo found in north-eastern India, Myanmar, southern China and southeast Asia. Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo is a brood parasite. The chick ev ...

(''H. fugax'') but is now commonly treated as a separate species based on differences in vocalizations. 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 Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

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 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 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' ...

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. Its breeding season begins in April.

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 The Philippine hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx pectoralis'') is a bird belonging to the cuckoo family. It is found only in the Philippines. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo (''H. fugax'') but is now commonly treated ...

Endemic birds of the Philippines