Ceuthmochares aereus
The Blue Malkoha (*Ceuthmochares aereus*) is a striking medium-sized cuckoo native to sub-Saharan Africa, notable for its non-parasitic breeding strategy, a rarity among its family. Measuring approximately 33 cm (13 inches) in length and weighing between 62-93 grams, adults are characterized by their glossy, metallic blue-black to greenish-black upperparts, wings, and long tail, contrasting with a soft grey underbelly that darkens towards the vent. Its most distinctive features include a brig...
Inhabits dense undergrowth of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, secondary growth, riverine thickets, and forest edges, typically at elevations up to 1800-2000 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of arboreal insects such as caterpillars, mantids, and stick insects, supplemented by spiders, snails, small lizards, and some fruits like figs. It forages by stealthily gleaning prey from foliage and branches within dense undergrowth.
The Blue Malkoha is a notoriously shy and skulking bird, usually encountered singly or in pairs, expertly navigating the dense tangles of its forest home during diurnal hours. It employs a distinctive foraging strategy, clambering and hopping deliberately through thick vegetation, often hanging u...
The Blue Malkoha boasts an expansive distribution across sub-Saharan Africa, stretching from Senegal in the west across to western Kenya and southwards to Angola, and then broadly across central and eastern regions down to eastern South Africa. This wide range encompasses a variety of forest type...
Least Concern
- The "Blue" in its name refers to the metallic, glossy blue-black sheen of its plumage, which can appear greenish in certain light conditions. - Unlike 90% of cuckoo species, the Blue Malkoha is not a brood parasite; it builds its own nest and raises its own young. - Its unique foraging style in...