Blue Malkoha
Ceuthmochares aereus
The Blue Malkoha (Ceuthmochares aereus) is a rare cuckoo found in 27 countries, weighing about 66 g. The blue malkoha or chattering yellowbill is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.
About the Blue Malkoha
The blue malkoha or chattering yellowbill is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It was formerly conspecific with the green malkoha until split in 2016. It is widely distributed across the African tropical rainforest.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The blue malkoha has a greyish belly, head and throat and a heavy yellow bill but subspecies display some differences in plumage colouration. C. aereus aereus has a greenish and blue tail, wings and back, while C. aereus flavirostris has a blue tail, wings and back. The blue malkoha feeds primarily on insects, particularly caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers and crickets; it will also take frogs, slugs, fruit, seeds and leaves. It moves through the tangled vegetation with a series of small hops, snatching prey as it travels.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Blue Malkoha can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Blue Malkoha?
- The blue malkoha has a greyish belly, head and throat and a heavy yellow bill but subspecies display some differences in plumage colouration. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Blue Malkoha?
- The Blue Malkoha is a medium sized bird weighing about 66 g.
- Where can you see a Blue Malkoha?
- The Blue Malkoha occurs in 27 countries, including Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
- What birds look similar to a Blue Malkoha?
- The Blue Malkoha is most easily confused with the Green Malkoha.
- Is the Blue Malkoha endangered?
- The Blue Malkoha is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Blue Malkoha for real
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