Little bronze cuckoo

Species of bird

Little bronze cuckoo
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Chrysococcyx
Species:
C. minutillus
Binomial name
Chrysococcyx minutillus
Gould, 1859

The little bronze cuckoo (Chrysococcyx minutillus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Southeast Asia, New Guinea and northern and eastern Australia, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It is the world's smallest cuckoo, at 17 grams (0.60 oz) and 15 cm (6 in). The subspecies rufomerus and crassirostris are sometimes given specific status.

The Little Bronze Cuckoo is characterized by its bronze-green upperparts, white underparts with dark barring, and a distinctive white spot behind the eye.[2] It has a slender body and a long tail, allowing it to maneuver swiftly through dense vegetation.

In terms of habitat, the Little Bronze Cuckoo prefers open woodlands, forest edges, and scrubby areas with dense vegetation.[3] It is known to migrate seasonally, moving between breeding and non-breeding grounds in response to environmental changes and food.


Subspecies

Subspecies accepted by the International Ornithologists' Union as of 2014 are:[4]

  • C. m. peninsularis S.A.Parker, 1981 – southern Thailand and the Malay Peninsula
  • C. m. albifrons (Junge, 1938) – Sumatra and western Java
  • C. m. aheneus (Junge, 1938) – Borneo and the southern Philippines
  • C. m. jungei (Stresemann, 1938) – Sulawesi, Flores and Madu Island
  • C. m. rufomerus Hartert, 1900 (green-cheeked bronze cuckoo) – Lesser Sunda Islands
  • C. m. crassirostris (Salvadori, 1878) (pied bronze cuckoo) – considered by some authorities as a separate species. Found on Babar, Kai and Tanimbar Islands
  • C. m. salvadorii (Hartert & Stresemann, 1925) – Babar Islands
  • C. m. misoriensis (Salvadori, 1876) – Biak (Schouten Islands)
  • C. m. poecilurus G.R.Gray, 1862 – coastal New Guinea and northern Queensland
  • C. m. minutillus Gould, 1859 – northern Australia
  • C. m. barnardi Mathews, 1912 – eastern Australia
  • C. m. russatus Gould, 1868 – (Gould's bronze cuckoo) - formerly considered by some authorities as a separate species. Found in north-eastern Australia, New Guinea

References

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Chalcites minutillus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T61433519A95233230. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61433519A95233230.en.
  2. ^ Dutson, G. C. L. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Bloomsbury Publishing.
  3. ^ Dutson, G. C. L. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Bloomsbury Publishing.
  4. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2014-04-15). "IOC World Bird List Version 4.2". International Ornithologists’ Union. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
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Taxon identifiers
Chrysococcyx minutillus


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