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Mystery bird: Blue-headed coucal, Centropus monachus

This distinctive African mystery bird has a number of interesting traits

Blue-headed coucal, Centropus monachus, Rüppell, 1837, also known as the West African blue-headed coucal, photographed at Wondo Genet, Ethiopia (Africa).



Response: This is an adult blue-headed coucal, Centropus monachus, a shy but distinctive species that is associated with moving or still water, particularly papyrus swamps. Like all coucals, this species is carnivorous, consuming nearly anything that can fit into its mouth: insects, rodents, birds and their eggs, snails, amphibians, reptiles and snakes. They also feed on carrion.

There are about 30 species of coucals and many of them have a very long claw on their hallux (hind toe), a distinctive character that sets them apart into their own subfamily. This claw ranges from 23-76% of the bird's tarsus length, depending upon the species. Even though the coucals have traditionally been placed into Cuculidae (cuckoos), a number of authorities argue that, based on DNA evidence, they belong in their own separate taxonomic family, Centropodidae. Unlike most of the cuckoos, the coucals are not brood parasites. Instead, they build their own nests and nearly all of them show varying degrees of sex-role reversal, with at least one species being polyandrous. Supposedly, adults can carry their chicks whilst flying, even though they are reported to be poor fliers.




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