The Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) is a species of cuckoo

Cuckoo

The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...

 in the Cuculidae family. Found in Southeast Asia from Myanmar through to eastern Java, the Philippines and Borneo, it is a large cuckoo measuring up to 49 cm (19 in) with grey and dark green upperparts and chestnut underparts, and a large curved pale upper mandible. The male and female are similar in plumage. Unlike many cuckoos, it builds its nest and raises its own young.

Taxonomy

The Chestnut-breasted Malkoha was first described from a specimen collected in western Java

Java

Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...

 by English naturalist George Shaw

George Shaw

George Shaw was an English botanist and zoologist.Shaw was born at Bierton, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, receiving his M.A. in 1772. He took up the profession of medical practitioner. In 1786 he became the assistant lecturer in botany at Oxford University...

 in 1810 as Cuculus curvirostris, before the genus Phaenicophaeus

Phaenicophaeus

Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae, all in the genus Phaenicophaeus. The group name is derived from the Sinhala word for the Red-faced Malkoha; Mal-Koha meaning flower-cuckoo. These are all Asian tropical species. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek phoiniko-...

was erected by English naturalist James Francis Stephens

James Francis Stephens

James Francis Stephens was an English entomologist.-Biography:Stephens was born in Shoreham-by-Sea and studied at Christ's Hospital.He was employed in the Admiralty office, Somerset House, from 1807 to 1845...

 in 1815. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 words curvus "curved", and rostrum "beak". The genus name is derived from the ancient Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...

 phoiniko- "crimson", and phaes "eyes" or "face", referring to the Red-faced Malkoha

Red-faced Malkoha

The Red-faced Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This Malkoha species is endemic to Sri Lanka-Description:...

. However, the 'œ' was transcribed incorrectly as 'æ'.

Subspecies

Six subspecies are recognised:

• P. c. singularis: from southern Myanmar and Thailand, through the Malay Peninsula and into Sumatra
  Sumatra
  Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
  
  , as well as the Anambas archipelago
  Anambas
  Anambas archipelago is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located in the South China Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east...
  
  .
• P. c. oeneicaudus: from western Sumatra Islands.
• P. c. curvirostris: from central and western Java.
• P. c. deningeri: from eastern Java and Bali
  Bali
  Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
  
  .
• P. c. microrhinus: from Bangka Island
  Bangka Island
  Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. Population 626,955. Area: c.4,600 sq mi .There is an additional small island named Pulau Bangka in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.-Geography:...
  
   and Borneo
  Borneo
  Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
  
  .
• P. c. harringtoni: from Palawan, Balabac
  Balabac Island
  Balabac Island is the southern-most island of the Palawan province in the Philippines, only about north from Sabah, Malaysia, across the Balabac Strait.Administratively, the island forms the main part of Balabac Municipality and is divided into 14 barangays:...
  
  , Calamian and Dumaran
  Dumaran, Palawan
  Dumaran is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 18,737 people. It is bounded on the northeast by Municipality of Araceli, on the south by Sulu Sea by, on the southwest by Roxas, and on the northwest by the...
  
   islands of the Palawan
  Palawan
  Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
  
   province of the western Philippines.

Description

Measuring 42–49 cm (17–19 in) in length, the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha has a large curved pale yellow upper mandible and darker red or black lower mandible, and a bare red patch of rough skin around the eye. The head is grey and wings are dark green fading to blue with age. Its underparts and rump are chestnut, and feet are dark grey. There is little sexual dimorphism as the male and female are similar in plumage, although the male has a pale blue iris and the female yellow.

Distribution and habitat

It is found in Brunei

Brunei

Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...

, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, Malaysia, Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

, the western Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, and southern Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

.

Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It resides mainly in the middle story in dense foliage. Much of its forest habitat is being cleared.

Feeding

It eats small vertebrates, such as small lizards, frogs and baby birds, and insects, including caterpillars, grasshoppers, cicadas, stick insects, mantises, cockroaches, beetles and bugs, as well as spiders and small crabs.

Breeding

Unlike many cuckoos, the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha builds its nest and raises its own young. Breeding season varies by location, from August to December in Borneo, to January to September in Southeast Asia. The male and female pair up and build a nest around 35 cm (14 in) diameter of small branches and twigs, with a leaf-lined depression or cup around 11 cm (4 in) in diameter and 5 cm (2 in) deep. Two or three matte white eggs measuring 34 x 28 mm are laid. Both the female and male incubate the eggs, which usually hatch around 13 days after being laid. Young birds remain in the nest for around 11 days, during which time they are fed by both parents.