Centropus celebensis
The Bay Coucal, Centropus celebensis, is a captivating medium-sized cuckoo endemic to Sulawesi and a few surrounding islands in Indonesia, distinguished by its terrestrial habits and striking plumage. Measuring 46-50 cm in length, adults boast a glossy black head, neck, mantle, and underparts, which beautifully contrast with its eponymous rich chestnut (bay) wings and lower back. A prominent field mark is its bright red iris, complemented by a heavy black bill and long, graduated, glossy blac...
The Bay Coucal primarily inhabits lowland and hill forests, dense secondary growth, and overgrown clearings, typically found at elevations up to 1000 meters. It favors areas with thick undergrowth and tangled vegetation, providing excellent cover.
Its diet consists mainly of large insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars, supplemented by spiders, small reptiles (lizards, snakes), frogs, and occasionally eggs or nestlings of other birds. It primarily forages on the ground, gleaning and probing in leaf litter.
The Bay Coucal is a largely diurnal and skulking bird, spending most of its time on the ground or clambering through dense vegetation, often heard but rarely seen. It forages by walking deliberately through leaf litter and dense tangles, probing for prey with its robust bill. While generally soli...
The Bay Coucal is strictly endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, and a handful of immediately adjacent small islands, including Buton, Muna, Kabaena, and Peleng. Its entire distribution is confined to this biogeographic region, with no known migratory movements or wintering grounds outs...
Least Concern
- The Bay Coucal is one of the few cuckoo species worldwide that does not lay its eggs in the nests of other birds; it builds its own nest and raises its young. - Its common name directly refers to its striking chestnut-colored wings, which contrast sharply with its otherwise dark body. - Despite...