Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Blue-headed Coucal (Centropus monachus) - HBW 4, p. 591
French: Coucal à nuque bleu
German: Mönchskuckuck
Spanish: Cucal Monje
Taxonomy: Centropus monachus Rüppell, 1837, Kulla, northern Ethiopia.
Possible intermediates occur between present species and C. cupreicaudus, and their vocalizations are similar; on occasion treated as conspecific. Several additional races described appear invalid: form “heuglini” with a blue (not violet) head, found along large permanent swamps in Sudan, appears to represent an immature plumage of fischeri; a separate race, occidentalis, sometimes recognized for birds of Gabon, but probably indistinct from fischeri; birds from Shaba in SW Zaire, described as smaller race verheyeni, in fact overlap in size with
Possible intermediates occur between present species and C. cupreicaudus, and their vocalizations are similar; on occasion treated as conspecific. Several additional races described appear invalid: form “heuglini” with a blue (not violet) head, found along large permanent swamps in Sudan, appears to represent an immature plumage of fischeri; a separate race, occidentalis, sometimes recognized for birds of Gabon, but probably indistinct from fischeri; birds from Shaba in SW Zaire, described as smaller race verheyeni, in fact overlap in size with fischeri. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- fischeri Reichenow, 1887 - Ivory Coast and Ghana through S Nigeria, S Cameroon, Gabon, N Angola and Zaire to S Sudan, NW Tanzania and highlands of Ethiopia and W Kenya.
- monachus Rüppell, 1837 - Ethiopia to C Kenya.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
-
A lateral and a dorsal view of a bird Locality Hawassa, Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp fischeri)
Ron Hoff 1 December 2007 4 years ago 58 sec 3.6 -
perched out, preening in the early morning Locality Kakum National Park, Central Region, Ghana (ssp fischeri)
Martin Kennewell 13 December 2010 42 weeks ago 34 sec 3.3 -
A bird resting on a cane Locality Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp fischeri)
Josep del Hoyo 18 December 2005 5 years ago 42 sec 3.1 -
A bird on the ground, foraging Locality Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp fischeri)
Josep del Hoyo 18 December 2005 5 years ago 30 sec 2.6 -
A bird on a wall and flying away Locality Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp fischeri)
Josep del Hoyo 18 December 2005 5 years ago 29 sec 2.5 -
A bird walking on a bank Locality Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp fischeri)
Josep del Hoyo 18 December 2005 5 years ago 47 sec 2.4
-
Perched on edge of papyrus swamp.
Locality Kibungo, East Province, Rwanda
Jason Anderson 11 October 2009 1 year ago 3.5 -
A bird rooting around under a bush
Locality Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia (ssp fisheri)
Ian Fulton 28 February 2008 2 years ago 3.5 -
A single blue-headed coucal, resting on the ground
Locality Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
Frank Sandvoss 13 November 2010 16 weeks ago 3.3 -
A bird perched in a tangle of twigs
Locality Atewa Range, Ghana (ssp fischeri)
Ian Fulton 14 March 2009 2 years ago 3 -
Blue-headed Coucal (Centropus monachus)
Locality Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia
Guy Poisson 2 February 2010 1 year ago 2
- No sound recordings available yet
Email this page