Alternate name: Melanesian Cuckooshrike
- Coracina caledonica
Identification
30–35 cm. (11¾-13¾ in.)
- Male: Very large uniformly slaty-grey cuckooshrike
- Pale yellow eye.
- Black forehead, lores, chin and area around eye.
- Short heavy black bill.
- Female: Slightly paler with dusky lores
- Juvenile: Pale grey fringes, broad buffy fringes on wings and dull eye.
Similar Species
Differs from New Caledonian Cuckooshrike by larger size, darker blackish plumage, yellow eye and lack of any chestnut. From rare vagrant Black-faced Cuckooshrike by much darker plumage and yellow eye. From New Caledonian Crow by elongate shape, longer tail and yellow eye. From starlings by larger size, no iridescence, and long, slightly rounded tail.
Distribution
Australasia: Islands of southern Melanesia (Vanuatu, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia).
Taxonomy
Formerly combined with with North Melanesian Cuckooshrike as Melanesian Cuckooshrike.
Subspecies
This is a polytypic species. Four subspecies recognized[1].
- C. c. thilenii: Vanuatu (Espíritu Santo, Malo and Malakula)
- Grey, male with indistinct black mask, female paler with smaller mask.
- C. c. seiuncta: Erromango (Vanuatu)
- Paler grey
- C. c. lifuensis: Lifou (Loyalty Islands)
- Darker
- C. c. caledonica: New Caledonia
- Smaller and paler
Habitat
Lowland forest and forest edge; fairly common in savanna, parks, suburbs, cultivated areas, and humid forest. Less common in mountains, to at least 1200 m.
Behaviour
Actions
Forages slowly, usually in pairs or groups up to five, in canopy of forest, especially the tallest emergent trees. Often calls from exposed perches in tree-tops.
Diet
Insects and fruit.
Breeding
Unknown.
Vocalisation
Calls include loud starling-like whistles usually upslurred and often repeated. The song is a series of chattering guttural phrases. Contact and aggression calls are loud harsh chatters.
Movements
Resident
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F & D Donsker (Eds). 2019. IOC World Bird List (v9.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.9.2. Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Dutson, G. (2011) Birds of Melanesia, Christopher Helm, London.
- Taylor, B. (2019). South Melanesian Cuckooshrike (Coracina caledonica). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/57841 on 13 December 2019).
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) South Melanesian Cuckooshrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/South_Melanesian_Cuckooshrike
