Alternative name: Blue Madagascar Coucal
- Coua caerulea
Identification
48–50 cm (19-19¾ in)
- Dark blue plumage
- Bare blue skin encircling the eye
- Black bill
Similar Species
Similar to Crested Coua, which has a rufous breast.
Distribution
North-western and eastern Madagascar.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Occurs in evergreen humid forest and adjacent secondary growth and locally in the northwest in the drier forest.
Behaviour
Arboreal, usually found alone or in small groups. Moves clumsily through the canopy, travelling along the larger branches gleaning its prey from the foliage.
Diet
Diet consists insects, such as caterpillars, crickets, mantises, grasshoppers, beetles and cicadas. They also eat snails, geckos, chameleons and fruit.
Breeding
They construct a platform nest. A single egg is laid.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2019)
- Avian Web
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Blue Coua. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue_Coua
External Links
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Search the Gallery using the common name:
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
