Himalayan cuckoo
The Himalayan cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus) is a species of cuckoo in the genus Cuculus. It breeds from the Himalayas eastward to southern China and Taiwan. It migrates to southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands for the winter.
| Himalayan cuckoo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| From Gnathang Valley East Sikkim, India | |
| Calls | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Cuculus |
| Species: | C. saturatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cuculus saturatus (Blyth, 1843) | |
It was formerly known as "Oriental cuckoo" and contained several subspecies found over most of Asia. In 2005, it was determined that this "species" consists of three distinct lineages:
- Himalayan cuckoo, Cuculus (saturatus) saturatus
- Oriental cuckoo proper, Cuculus (saturatus) optatus
- Sunda cuckoo, Cuculus (saturatus) lepidus
These are usually seen as distinct species nowadays. As the type specimen of the former "Oriental" cuckoo is a bird of the Himalayan population, the name saturatus applies to the Himalayan cuckoo if it is considered a species.
Himalayan Cuckoo - Kaeng Krachen Nat’l Park - Thailand
References
- BirdLife International (2013). "Cuculus saturatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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