Cuckoos (Cuculidae)

Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis) - HBW 4, p. 589

French: Grand Coucal German: Heckenkuckuck Spanish: Cucal Chino
Other common names: Common/Large Coucal, Common Crow-pheasant, Lark-heeled Cuckoo

Taxonomy: Polophilus sinensis Stephens, 1815, Ning Po, China.
Forms a superspecies with C. andamanensis, the two sometimes being treated as conspecific. Birds from Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Palawan are sometimes placed together in a separate race eurycercus. Race anonymus sometimes misspelt “anonymous”. Six subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

sinensis (Stephens, 1815) - Pakistan (Sind, Punjab) and Kashmir through N India (Himalayas and Gangetic Plain) to Bengal, Sikkim and N Assam and foothills in Bhutan, and on to S China (Guanxi, Zhejiang, Fujian).
parroti Stresemann, 1913 - peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
intermedius (Hume, 1873) - Bangladesh and S Assam E through Myanmar to SC China (S Yunnan and Hainan), and S to Thailand, Indochina and Peninsular Malaysia.

See all 6 subspecies

sinensis (Stephens, 1815) - Pakistan (Sind, Punjab) and Kashmir through N India (Himalayas and Gangetic Plain) to Bengal, Sikkim and N Assam and foothills in Bhutan, and on to S China (Guanxi, Zhejiang, Fujian).
parroti Stresemann, 1913 - peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
intermedius (Hume, 1873) - Bangladesh and S Assam E through Myanmar to SC China (S Yunnan and Hainan), and S to Thailand, Indochina and Peninsular Malaysia.
bubutus Horsfield, 1821 - Sumatra, Nias and Mentawai Is to Borneo and W Philippines (Balabac, Cagayan Sulu, Palawan), and S to Java and Bali.
anonymus Stresemann, 1913 - SW Philippines (Basilan, Sulu Is).
kangeanensis Vorderman, 1893 - Kangean Is.