Malkoha

Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae, all in the genus Phaenicophaeus. The group name is derived from the Sinhala word for the red-faced malkoha; mal-koha meaning flower-cuckoo. These are all Asian tropical species. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek phoiniko- crimson, and phaes "eyes" or "face",[1] referring to the red-faced malkoha. However, the 'œ' was mistranscribed as 'æ'.[2]

Malkohas
Chestnut-bellied malkoha (Phaenicophaeus sumatranus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Phaenicophaeus
Stephens, 1815

Species

Species in taxonomic order are:

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Phaenicophaeus diardiBlack-bellied malkohaBrunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.
Phaenicophaeus sumatranusChestnut-bellied malkohaBrunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand.
Phaenicophaeus viridirostrisBlue-faced malkohapeninsular India and Sri Lanka.
Phaenicophaeus tristisGreen-billed malkohaIndian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia
Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchusYellow-billed malkohaSulawesi, Indonesia
Phaenicophaeus curvirostrisChestnut-breasted malkohaSoutheast Asia from Myanmar through to eastern Java, the Philippines and Borneo
Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalusRed-faced malkohaSri Lanka
Phaenicophaeus superciliosusRough-crested malkoha or red-crested malkohanorthern Philippines
Phaenicophaeus cumingiScale-feathered malkohanorthern Philippines.


Raffles's malkoha ("P." chlorophaeus) is a highly distinct species and may not even be as closely related to malkohas as long believed. Its placement in a monotypic genus Rhinortha is supported by a morphological, molecular and behavioral evidence.

The green malkoha or yellowbill seems also distinct from the typical malkohas; it is placed in the monotypic genus Ceuthmochares.

References

  1. Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged Edition). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
  2. Payne RB, Sorenson MD (2005). The Cuckoos: Cuculidae. Oxford University Press. p. 294. ISBN 0-19-850213-3.
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