Wildlifeof Nepal
Sirkeer Malkoha
Cuckoos & Coucals
Photo: (c) Кирилл, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Taccocua leschenaultii
Basic stats
Diet
Small lizards and insects; sometimes berries and seeds
Habitat
Dry scrub forest and open woodland, generally below about 1,500m; forages on the ground, on rocks or in grass
Range
Indian subcontinent
Clutch size
2–3 pale yellowish-brown eggs
Size
42–44cm
The sirkeer malkoha is a non-parasitic cuckoo of dry scrub forest and open woodland in the Indian subcontinent, 42 to 44cm long. It is olive-brown above with a rufous underside and a long graduated tail broadly tipped in white. Its most distinctive feature is a curved red bill with a yellow tip, and long bristles like eyelashes around the eye that are thought to protect it when creeping through grass. The sexes look the same (Wikipedia, general species account).
It forages singly or in pairs, mostly on or near the ground and often on rocky ground, in scrub and thin forest, usually below about 1,500m. It feeds on small lizards and insects and sometimes berries and seeds, and is very silent. The clutch is two to three eggs and both sexes incubate, though the incubation period is undocumented.
Quick answers
- What does the Sirkeer Malkoha eat?
- Small lizards and insects; sometimes berries and seeds
- What habitat does the Sirkeer Malkoha live in?
- Dry scrub forest and open woodland, generally below about 1,500m; forages on the ground, on rocks or in grass
- Where is the Sirkeer Malkoha found?
- Indian subcontinent
- How many eggs does the Sirkeer Malkoha lay?
- 2–3 pale yellowish-brown eggs
- How big is the Sirkeer Malkoha?
- 42–44cm