ML379073201 OBI 181181
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- Watermark
Media notes
Plumage detail. Remarks: I am using nomenclature from "Cuckoos of the World, by Johannes Erritzøe, Clive F. Mann, Frederik P. Brammer and Richard A. Fuller. Helm, 2012" which has split the Asian Drongo-cuckoo into the Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris) and the Fork-tailed Drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus dicruroides). There appears to be little to differentiate these birds except for the forked tail which is not always the easiest of features. The Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo is resident in my region while the Fork-tailed Drongo-cuckoo is a migrant. I was fortunate to meet up with at least 3 birds feeding together in the same location (there were possibly 4 birds). This is unusual social behaviour but I have seen other cuckoos also congregating when the food source is abundant (here hairy caterpillars). A rare possibility is a family unit, as some work has shown that parents continue to watch over their young, even after leaving the parasitic host. There was also a Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus threnodes) feeding at the same site and there was occasional conflict between this Plaintive and the Drongo-cuckoos – the Plaintive Cuckoo attempted to chase them off its feeding patch. The birds were very confiding and I attempted many close up images of plumage/features. These images to show the 3 birds in different lighting and postures. There appears to be a slight ‘gape' in some of them but I think this is the yellow oral cavity showing. Note the white thighs in which are usually hard to see and the white tips to the tail that are often present. Note the white patch on the nape that is usually hard to see. "Cuckoos of the World" queries whether this is a feature left over from the juvenile state. All 3 birds I saw had it. -Amar. Date added to OBI: January 05, 2020.
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Technical information
- Dimensions
- 650 pixels x 478 pixels
- Original file size
- 92.39 KB