Blue-faced malkoha

Blue-faced malkoha
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Phaenicophaeus
Species:	P. viridirostris
Binomial name
Phaenicophaeus viridirostris (Jerdon, 1840)

Blue-faced malkoha

The blue-faced malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the hoatzin.

It is restricted to Sri Lanka and southern India. The blue-faced malkoha is a bird of open forests and scrub jungle. It nests in a thorn bush, the typical clutch being two, sometimes three, eggs.

This is a largish species at 39 cm. Its back and head are dark green, and the uppertail is green edged with white. The throat and belly are lighter green. There is a large blue patch around the eye and the bill is green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and barred above.This is commonly seen in plathottam,india.So plathottam is famous for malkohas.

The blue-faced malkoha takes a variety of insects, caterpillars and small vertebrates. It occasionally eats berries.

Blue-faced malkoha picture taken in perundurai Blue faced malkoha seen in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

References

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Phaenicophaeus viridirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.

• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6