Sumatran ground cuckoo
| Sumatran ground cuckoo | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Carpococcyx |
| Species: | C. viridis
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| Binomial name | |
| Carpococcyx viridis | |
The Sumatran ground cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis) is a large, terrestrial species of cuckoo endemic to the forests of Sumatra in Indonesia.[3] It was first described in 1879[2] and, despite being identified as a separate species in the 1880s,[4] was formerly considered conspecific with the Bornean ground cuckoo until recently being returned to the status of a unique species.[5] Considered a critically endangered species by the IUCN Red List, it was initially known from just eight specimens and evaded notice from 1916 until 1997, when it was rediscovered and photographed.[6] The Sumatran ground cuckoo's diet is thought to consist of invertebrates, small mammals, and reptiles.[7]
Description
[edit]The Sumatran ground cuckoo is a large bird of about 55 cm (22 in) in length.[1] Its wings and long, full tail are glossy greenish-black, while its mantle, upper back, neck sides, lower throat, upper breast, covert feathers, and secondary feathers are dull green.[1] Its crown is black, and the bare skin around its eyes are hues of green, lilac, and blue.[1] Its bill and legs are green, and its underparts below the upper breast are cinnamon buff.[1] BirdLife International describes its voice as follows: "Repeated low whistles (falling then rising in tone: WE-ow-WE), plus issued in a rising series (we-ow-we, we-ow-we, we-ow-we, we-ow-we; each phrase slightly higher than last)."[1]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The Sumatran ground cuckoo is endemic to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.[8] Notes on early specimen labels as well as recent sightings suggest its favoured habitat is foothills and primary montane forest.[9][7] It has been found between elevations of 300 and 1,400 m (975 and 4,600 ft), although recent sightings are exclusively from 800–1,000 m (2,600–3,300 ft).[10][1] Its small population makes it difficult to find, and like the Bornean ground cuckoo, it may exhibit unobtrusive behavior – making sightings even more rare.[8]
Most modern-day sightings have taken place in the Barisan Mountains in South Sumatra and the Kerinci Seblat National Park of Jambi province, beginning with an individual photographed in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in 1997.[6] An additional unconfirmed sighting took place in the Bukit Rimbang-Baling Wildlife Sanctuary in 2000.[1] In 2006, a camera trap surveying for tigers close to Kerinci Seblat National Park, also in the Barisan Mountains, captured multiple images of the Sumatran ground cuckoo for the first time since 1997 and only the second time in the last ninety years.[11][failed verification] In 2007, its call was recorded for the first time by Wildlife Conservation Society biologists after a trapper handed them a bird he had caught.[12] Up to five more sightings were reported nearby between 2007 and 2010.[8] In 2017, a camera trap in Batang Gadis National Park took a photo of a Sumatran ground cuckoo, indicating that a previously unknown population may exist in North Sumatra.[11]
Status and conservation
[edit]Due to ongoing habitat loss and small population size, the IUCN Red List evaluates the Sumatran ground cuckoo as critically endangered.[1][13] The Red List estimates that the total population of Sumatran ground cuckoos ranges from 50 to 249 mature individuals, and its population is thought to be decreasing.[9] The bird's known range overlaps with some of the Barisan Mountains' 20 protected areas,[6][9] but rapid deforestation – its main threat – is prevalent even in these areas.[9][14] A 2003 study showed an average 2% loss of forest within Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, part of its known range,[8] between 1985 and 1999.[15] This deforestation is caused predominantly by logging, palm oil plantations, pulpwood plantations, establishment of farms, and wildfires.[16] As the Sumatran ground cuckoo prefers primary forest with dense undergrowth,[9] reforestation is unlikely to be as effective as protective measures for currently existing habitat.[citation needed] The species likely benefits from protected areas, but its conservation needs are not fully understood due to a lack of study.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i BirdLife International 2017, p. 1.
- ^ a b Salvadori, Tommaso (1879). "Catalogo di una collezione di uccelli fatta nella parte occidentale di Sumatra dal Prof. Odoardo Beccari" [Catalogue of a collection of birds made in the western part of Sumatra by Prof. Odoardo Beccari]. Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova (in Italian). 14. Tip. del R. Istituto Sordo-Muti: 187. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ^ BirdLife International 2017, pp. 1–2.
- ^ Finsch, O. (1898). "On the specific distinction of the ground-cuckoos of Borneo and Sumatra". Notes from the Leyden Museum. 20 (2/3). Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie: 97–100. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ Long, A. J.; Collar, N. J. (February 1995). "Taxonomy and names of Carpococcyx cuckoos from the Greater Sundas" (PDF). Forktail. 11. Oriental Bird Club: 135–150. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "Sumatran Ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis) - BirdLife species factsheet". datazone.birdlife.org. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ a b "EDGE of Existence". EDGE of Existence. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d BirdLife International 2017, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e BirdLife International 2017, p. 4.
- ^ Payne, Robert B.; Sharpe, Chris (2020). "Sumatran Ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis)". In Del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi; Christie, David; De Juana, Eduardo (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.sugcuc1.01. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ a b Gokkon, Basten (27 September 2017). "Camera trap records nearly extinct cuckoo bird in Sumatra". Mongabay. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ Sautner, Stephen (9 March 2007). "Lost Cuckoo Breaks Its Silence" (Press release). Wildlife Conservation Society. Retrieved 6 December 2017 – via ScienceDaily.
- ^ "EDGE of Existence". EDGE of Existence. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ Kinnaird et al. 2003, pp. 245–246.
- ^ Kinnaird et al. 2003, p. 245.
- ^ Kinnaird et al. 2003, p. 246.
- ^ BirdLife International 2017, p. 4–5.
Works cited
[edit]- BirdLife International (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Carpococcyx viridis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22724459A112393882. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22724459A112393882.en. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- Kinnaird, Margaret F.; Sanderson, Eric W.; O'Brien, Timothy G.; Wibisono, Hariyo T.; Woolmer, Gillian (1 February 2003). "Deforestation trends in a tropical landscape and implications for endangered large mammals". Conservation Biology. 17 (1): 245–257. Bibcode:2003ConBi..17..245K. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.02040.x. ISSN 1523-1739.
External links
[edit]- Tiger trap goes cuckoo article at BirdLife International
- "Sumatran ground-cuckoo media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Interactive range map of Carpococcyx viridis at IUCN Red List