Chrysococcyx maculatus
The Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx maculatus, is a stunningly iridescent member of the cuckoo family, renowned for its brilliant plumage and brood parasitic lifestyle. Measuring about 17-18 cm in length with a relatively short bill, adults exhibit striking sexual dimorphism. Males boast a glossy, metallic emerald-green upperparts, head, and throat, contrasting sharply with a white belly finely barred with green; they also feature a distinctive bright red eye-ring. Females are duller, with...
Primarily inhabits subtropical and tropical moist lowland forests, including broadleaf evergreen forests, but can also be found in montane forests and forest edges up to 1,800 meters elevation.
Feeds primarily on insects, especially hairy caterpillars, which are often rejected by other birds, and also consumes small beetles and other arthropods, occasionally supplementing with small fruits. Forages by gleaning insects from foliage and branches.
Asian Emerald Cuckoos are generally solitary and diurnal, spending their days foraging in the canopy for insects. As obligate brood parasites, they do not build their own nests or engage in any parental care; instead, the female stealthily lays her eggs, typically one per nest, into the nests of ...
The Asian Emerald Cuckoo has an extensive breeding range across the Himalayan foothills from Nepal eastward through Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and into Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Isolated populations also breed in parts of Malaysia, Sumatra...
Least Concern
- The Asian Emerald Cuckoo is one of the smallest cuckoo species, barely larger than a sparrow, despite its impressive iridescent plumage. - Unlike most birds, it's an obligate brood parasite, meaning it never builds its own nest or raises its young. - Its eggs are often specially adapted to mimi...