These forest birds are found on the island of Madagascar located off the southeastern coast of Africa.. Inside this platform nest composed of twigs and leaves will lay a single egg. Just imagine how surprised you would be going in for the kill when all of a sudden a large face appears out of nowhere. These large, mostly terrestrial birds have brightly colored bare areas around the eyes and a silky plumage. Couas are part of the cuckoo family. Yesterday we spent our day in Madagascar looking into the trees for the incredible Madagascar Tree Boa and today our necks will continue to be cramped as we scan the trees for the beautiful Blue Coua. This coua is adorned with shiny blue feathers. The bird is a deep blue with a bare blue oval around the eye and beak. Cuculus … Breeding / Nesting: Unlike cuckoos, Blue Couas build their own nests out of twigs and leaves, and incubate their own white-colored eggs. ... "This one's called a Blue Coua," he says, pointing to a specimen with peacock-blue … Nocturnal birds rarely seem to catch a chameleon – probably because chameleons sleep at night and are more difficult to spot motionless. Blue Coua Ranomafana National Park. – Blue Coua", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_coua&oldid=960757836, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 June 2020, at 19:03. Avibase is an extensive database information system about all birds of the world, containing over &1 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information for 20,000 regions, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages and more. The main characteristic of all coua species is a blue … This species was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766. Velvet Asity Ranomafana National Park. Coua caerulea. The blue coua (Coua caerulea) can easily be spotted in the rain forests of Ranomafana, Ambre Mountain, Marojejy, Masoala, Mangabe and Andasibe,. This is pretty smart if you ask me and it obviously works quite well. Food and Feeding Behavior: Feeds on medium-sized mammals, mostly lemurs ... Blue Coua Coua caerulea, and other birds by Henst's Goshawk Accipiter henstii in Madagascar. It is the predator of all tree chameleons and geckos. ON THE LOCOMOTOR ANATOMY OF THE BLUE COUA, CO UA CA ER ULEA BY ANDREW J. BERGER Tins is the third in a series of papers on the anatomy of the Cu- culidae. – Rainbow Crabs, Wild Fact #632 – Cooler Than the Car – Jaguar. Western Bearded Greenbul Gori Hills. Fossas are thought to travel around 2 to 5 km (1.2 to 3.1 mi) per day. Many folks got a very fine one at Feon N'y Ala one afternoon. The Blue Coua or Blue Madagascar Coucal (Coua caerulea) is a cuckoo in the Cuculidae family that is … Again, I don’t have any scientific evidence but my guess is this design acts as a defence mechanism for the little chicks. taxonomy. feeding behavior and instantaneous sampling every 5 min for nest attendance by. Piping Hornbill Impassa. It has a bulky silhouette and short, broad wings and long tail, all of which can be seen when gliding between trees. I am a digital nomad who enjoys travelling around the globe while inspiring others to leave their comfort zone and improve their life. Looking at the picture to the left you will notice an unique design inside their mouths that look eerily similar to a face. Well, I am not sure what the purpose the blue colouring serves this cuckoo but I am willing to bet it has something to do with blending into their environment. BEHAVIOUR IN THE WILD: The Blue Coua feeds on various insects such as cicadas, locusts, crickets, bees, beetles, flies, caterpillars and millipedes, and also spiders. Wild Fact #366 – The Tourist Attraction – Malagasy Civet, Wild Fact #123 – The Size of a Cat?!? This is the TRUE Water Cat – Channel Catfish, Wild Fact #108 – It’s A Trap – Trapdoor Spider, Wild Fact #317 – Having a Cranky Day? Thus, So make sure you keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you happen to come across one of these spectacular birds. But its diet also includes chameleons, crabs, frogs, fruits and flowers. The blue coua is an omnivore eating insects, fruits and small reptiles in subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. Phaenicophaeinae. Wright. [4], The bird's feathers are a deep blue and there is a distinctive blue oval area around the eye which is free of feathers. Several times Weltvogelpark Wal-srode tried to parent rear Blue Couas but the chicks did not survive or the embryos died during the incubation period. More. subfamily. The fossa is generally solitary outside of the breeding season. The females lays one white egg on a platform nest, constructed of leaves and twigs on a trees branch. Find out what the risks are for your pet. [5], The blue coua is an omnivore eating insects, fruits and small reptiles in subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. P. 162 in del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal (eds). In Europe Blue Couas can only be seen in Weltvogelpark Walsrode and Cologne Zoo, which received birds from Walsrode. The anatomy of at least a third of the genera of cuckoos ... behavior, and ecology of each genus have … [5], This species is reported to be common in suitable habitat and its population trend appears stable. It averages a size of 18.9-19.7 inches long and weighs approximately 8.2 ounces. Couas, Blue Couas only lay one egg per clutch. It is endemic to the island of Madagascar. Yellow-throated Tinkerbird What is the purpose of this cleverly designed face? Cuckoos are mainly solitary birds, living on their own, or in pairs, during the breeding season, but a number of species are colonial, living in groups all year. Even the beautiful Blue Couas (Coua caerulea) and the very small Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher (Corythornis madagascariensis) have been caught with small chameleons as prey. Yes, these birds only produce one egg at a time but let me tell you, the chick that hatches from that egg is quite impressive. Kemp, A.C. 1994. Henst's Hawk. They also raise their own young. The nests are usually well hidden in trees or bushes. Karpanty and P.C. Well, they have to have a little variety with their wardrobe, don’t they? The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the conservation status of this bird as of least concern. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Blue Coua has an average height of 50 cm (19.6 inches) and weighs up to 232 grams (8.2 ounces), which is fairly large for a cuckoo bird species. alarm bark. However, the Giant Coua (Coua gigas) lays four eggs, whereas in the nest of the Crested Coua (Coua cristata) you can find two eggs. There was once twelve species of Coua but only eight or nine are still extant. It tends to be most active during the night and usually spends the day resting, hidden out of sight. Behavior. Unlock thousands of full-length species accounts and hundreds of bird family … Description. ... Blue coua. The average size of the birds is 48 to 50 cm (18.9 to 19.7 in) in length and 30 to 60 grams (1.1 to 2.1 ounces) in weight with the females slightly larger. A clutch usually consists of 1 egg. [2] The genus Coua derives from koa, the Malagasy name for a cuckoo. In my opinion the most interesting feature of the young Blue Coua chick is the inside of their mouth.