Animalia Life

Urodynamis taitensis
SUBFAMILY
Cuculinae
TAXONOMY
Cuculus taitensis Sparrman, 1787, Tahiti. Currently situated also in the genus Eudynamys. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Coucou de Nouvelle-Zйlande; German: Langschwanzkoel; Spanish: Koel Colilargo.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
15–16.5 in (38–42 cm), 0.24 lb (120 g). Male, long-tailed, rufous- barred brown above, head blackish; below, white to rufous, iris yellow, bill yellow-horn, nostril slit-like. Females more rufous.
DISTRIBUTION
New Zealand and many islands in Oceania: Carolines, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Norfolk, Bismarck Archipelago.
HABITAT
Forest and scrub.
BEHAVIOR
Sometimes several males call in a social group, similar to a lek. Long-distance migrant, breeding in New Zealand and wintering in Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Migrates at night. Immatures remain in the wintering areas until they are two years old.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insects, crabs, lizards, eggs, nestlings.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Brood parasitic; hosts are songbirds. Nestling evicts host offspring; nestling period is around 21 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not globally threatened, although some populations are declining because of habitat loss.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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