Hierococcyx or hawk-cuckoos is a genus of

birds 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 ...

in the family

Cuculidae 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 separa ...

. The resemblance to

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

s gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoos. It is sometimes included in the genus

Cuculus ''Cuculus'' is a genus of cuckoos which has representatives in most of the Old World, although the greatest diversity is in tropical southern and southeastern Asia. Taxonomy The genus ''Cuculus'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist ...

Species

* Moustached hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx vagans'') *

Large hawk-cuckoo The large hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx sparverioides'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide breeding distribution from temperate Asia along the Himalayas extending to East Asia. Many populations winter further south. They ...

(''Hierococcyx sparverioides'') *

Dark hawk-cuckoo The dark hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx bocki'') is a bird in the family Cuculidae formerly considered conspecific with the large hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx sparverioides'') and placed in the Cuculus genus. Geographic Range In Malaysia it occurs in ...

(''Hierococcyx bocki'') *

Common hawk-cuckoo The common hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx varius''), popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. It bears a close resemblance to the Shikra, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch ...

(''Hierococcyx varius'') *

Rufous hawk-cuckoo The rufous hawk-cuckoo or northern hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx hyperythrus'') is a bird in the family Cuculidae formerly thought to be conspecific with Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx fugax'') and placed in the genus '' Cuculus''. Geographic ...

(''Hierococcyx hyperythrus'') *

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 ...

(''Hierococcyx pectoralis'') * Malaysian hawk-cuckoo (''Hierococcyx fugax'') *

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 ...

(''Hierococcyx nisicolor'')

References

Cuculidae {{Cuculiformes-stub