The Red-faced Malkoha

The red faced malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus) is a globally threatened endemic bird species of Sri Lanka. It is a member of the genus phaenicophaeus which contains eleven species and are known as malkohas - out of these eleven species three can be found in Sri Lanka. Malkohas are large terrestrial non-parasitic cuckoos (which means that they do not lay their eggs in other bird nests but instead raise their own young) and unlike other cuckoos malkohas are relatively quiet.

DESCRIPTION

The red faced malkoha is a relatively large bird measuring about 40-50 cm. The back of its long tail and wings are greenish blue while the front of its tail contains a mixture of both black and white feathers. Its throat and upper parts of its breast are black and the area from the back of the neck, via the top part of the crown to the forehead is black with a few white feathers which gives it a speckled impression. The area below the red patch and the lower parts of the bird’s chest are white. The bill is light green and the area around the eye is crimson red. Both sexes are similar but the iris of the female is white and the male brown

- this is one of the only major ways of differentiating male and female birds.

BEHAVIOUR

Very little is known about the red faced malkoha as it is an extremely rare bird. Its diet consists of fruits and insects such as caterpillars and it can be often observed foraging for food with other species in mixed species flocks. Its nest is an untidy shallow saucer of grass, roots and twigs, making it camouflaged. It lays 2-3 white eggs. Unlike others cuckoos the red faced malkoha is a relatively quiet bird, making soft grunts at times.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

The red faced malkoha is endemic to Sri Lanka although there have been a few unconfirmed sightings from southern India. It can be found in both dry and wet zones from elevations as high as 1700m above sea level but the population seems to be higher in the wet zone. It is mainly found in the south western rainforests, because it prefers tall undisturbed tracts of rainforest with dense undergrowth. The red faced malkoha has declined much primarily because of heavy deforestation and the loss of suitable habitat due to urbanization and clearing of forests for single crop plantations. The International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers the red faced malkoha a vulnerable species.