Alternative name: Seram Cuckooshrike (atriceps)
- Coracina atriceps
Identification
32-35cm.
- Black head, neck, upper mantle, chin, throat and breast with bluish gloss
- Light slaty grey rest of upperparts, paler on rump and uppertail-coverts
- Black alula, primary coverts and primaries, edged ashy-grey
- Pure white undertail-coverts and abdomen
- Bluish-grey washed flanks and thighs
- Black bill
- Slaty black legs
- magnirostris is larger and darker grey overall
Females has sooty grey hood or an ashy throat, a lighter ashy breast and black lores.
Juveniles and immatures are undescribed.
Distribution
Northern Moluccas and Seram, Indonesia.
A restricted-range species, poorly known. Common on Halmahera and locally common on Seram.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies recognized:
- C. a. magnirostris on the northern Moluccas (Ternate, Halmahera, Bacan and Kasiruta)
- C. a. atriceps on Seram (southern Moluccas)
Forms a superspecies with Large Cuckooshrike, Javan Cuckooshrike, Slaty Cuckooshrike, Wallacean Cuckooshrike, Buru Cuckooshrike, North Melanesian Cuckooshrike, South Melanesian Cuckooshrike and Black-faced Cuckooshrike.
Habitat
Found in primary forest, mainly in hills. Also in selectively logged forest, tall secondary forest and coastal casuarina, sometimes in mangroves.
Occurs up to 1200m.
Behaviour
Diet not known. Forages in upper tree levels.
No information on breeding.
Probably a sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and D Christie, eds. 2005. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 10: Cuckoo-Shrikes to Thrushes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334726
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Moluccan Cuckooshrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Moluccan_Cuckooshrike
