Blue malkoha

The blue malkoha or chattering yellowbill (Ceuthmochares aereus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It was formerly conspecific with the green malkoha until split in 2016. It is widely distributed across the African tropical rainforest.

Blue malkoha
C. a. flavirostris Ghana
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Ceuthmochares
Species:	C. aereus
Binomial name
Ceuthmochares aereus (Vieillot, 1817)
Subspecies
See text

Description

The blue malkoha has a greyish belly, head and throat and a heavy yellow bill but subspecies display some differences in plumage colouration. C. aereus aereus has a greenish and blue tail, wings and back, while C. aereus flavirostris has a blue tail, wings and back.

The blue malkoha feeds primarily on insects, particularly caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers and crickets; it will also take frogs, slugs, fruit, seeds and leaves. It moves through the tangled vegetation with a series of small hops, snatching prey as it travels. It will accompany other birds and squirrels, taking the insects flushed by them.

Unlike some other cuckoos the blue malkoha is not a brood parasite, instead it cares for its own young. Two white and creamy eggs are laid in a nest that is a rough mass of sticks suspended around 2–5 m above the ground. Both parents care for the young.

The blue malkoha is an uncommon species and rarely observed due to its secretive behaviour. However it is not considered threatened, and is listed as least concern by the IUCN.

Subspecies

The blue malkoha has two subspecies:

• C. a. flavirostris (Swainson, 1837) - Gambia to southwest Nigeria
• C. a. aereus (Vieillot, 1817) - Nigeria to western Kenya, northern Zambia and Angola, Bioko

References

• Payne, R.B (2005) The Cuckoos. Oxford University Press: Oxford ISBN 0-19-850213-3