Centropus chlororhynchos
The Green-billed Coucal (Centropus chlororhynchos) is a striking, medium-sized cuckoo species endemic to the wet zone of Sri Lanka. Its most distinctive feature, and the origin of its name, is a bright apple-green bill that contrasts sharply with its entirely glossy black plumage. Adults typically measure around 43-46 cm (17-18 inches) in length, with females often being slightly larger than males, though sexual dimorphism in plumage is absent. Their eyes are a prominent crimson-red, adding t...
This species thrives in dense, moist evergreen forests, particularly in areas with tangled undergrowth, thickets, and secondary scrub. It typically inhabits lowlands up to elevations of about 760 meters (2,500 feet).
Their diet consists primarily of large insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles, alongside spiders, centipedes, small reptiles, frogs, snails, and occasionally eggs or nestlings of other birds. They forage by gleaning from foliage and searching through leaf litter on the forest floor.
Green-billed Coucals are primarily diurnal but possess a reclusive, skulking nature, often heard more than seen as they navigate dense vegetation. They forage on or near the ground, methodically searching for prey in leaf litter and low branches. While generally solitary or seen in pairs, they ma...
The Green-billed Coucal is strictly endemic to the southwestern wet zone of Sri Lanka, where it is a resident species. Its distribution is fragmented and primarily confined to remaining patches of lowland and lower montane rainforests and dense secondary growth. Key strongholds include the Sinhar...
Vulnerable
- Unlike many of its cuckoo relatives, the Green-billed Coucal is non-parasitic, meaning it builds its own nest and raises its own young. - Its striking apple-green bill is a unique feature among coucals, giving it its common name and differentiating it instantly. - This coucal is strictly endemi...