- Grey-bellied Cuckoo
Taxobox
name = Grey-bellied Cuckoo
image_caption = inSecunderabad ,India .
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Cuculiformes
familia =Cuculidae
genus = "Cacomantis "
species = "C. passerinus"
binomial = "Cacomantis passerinus"
binomial_authority = Vahl, 1797The Grey-bellied Cuckoo or the Indian Plaintive Cuckoo, "Cacomantis passerinus", is a member of thecuckoo order ofbird s, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and theHoatzin .It breeds in tropical southern
Asia fromIndia andSri Lanka to southChina andIndonesia . It is a short-distance migrant, since birds at more northerly latitudes and on higher ground are summer visitors, leaving for warmer areas in winter.The Grey-bellied Cuckoo is a bird of light woodland and cultivation. It is a brood parasite, and lays its single egg in the nests of warblers.
The Grey-bellied Cuckoo is a smallish cuckoo at 23 cm. Adults are mainly grey with a white lower belly and undertail. Some female are of the hepatic form, which is dark-barred reddish brown above with an unbarred tail, and has strongly dark-barred whitish underparts. The juvenile is a duller greyer version of the female.
The Grey-bellied Cuckoo takes a variety of insects and caterpillars. It is a noisy species, with a persistent and loud "pee-pip-pee-pee" call.
References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* "Birds of India" by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
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