Blue Coua

Blue Coua
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Coua
Species:	C. caerulea
Binomial name
Coua caerulea (Linnaeus, 1766)

The Blue Coua (Coua caerulea) is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar.

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.

The bird is a deep blue with a bare blue oval around the eye and beak. It averages a size of 18.9-19.7 inches long and weighs approximately 8.2 ounces. The Blue Coua's diet consists of insects, varied fruits, and small reptiles. Blue Couas can be found in the northwestern and eastern areas of Madagascar: specifically, in the sub-tropical to tropical moist lowland, mangrove forest, and moist montane ares. It is a species of cuckoo birds. In Spanish it is known as the Cua Azul. The bird lays only one egg in a nest hidden in trees and bushes.

References

• BirdLife International 2004. Coua caerulea. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.