THE SECOND ORDER OF ZYGODACTYLE PICARIAN BIRDS.—THE CUCKOOS (Cuculidæ).
WITHIN the limits of this family are comprised birds of very different habits and of very different structure, some being inhabitants of the ground and of the thick bush, whilst others are lovers of the open, and are birds of very strong flight. Without being able to climb up the trunks of trees, like our Woodpeckers, the Cuckoos possess the zygodactyle foot of the climbing bird in a very perfect degree. They differ from others of the Scansorial group by the position of the nostrils, which are placed rather low in the upper mandible, not far from the cutting edge of it. There are three sub-families of Cuckoos, distinguished by the form of the wing: the first of these has the wings short, rounded, and with from two to six, or even seven, of the primaries slightly indented in the middle. They have the feathers of the thigh close-set, and not over-hanging like those of a Hawk, as is the case with the true Cuckoos.
THE BUSH CUCKOOS (Phænicophæinæ).
These birds have representatives in India, Australia, and Africa, and even South America. Some of them are of very varied and beautiful plumages, and many of them reach the size of a moderate game-bird. The first genus of these Bush Cuckoos contains
THE LARK-HEELED CUCKOOS, OR COUCALS (Centropus).
These are remarkable for the form of the hind toe, which is furnished with a straight nail or claw, very strong, always equalling and often surpassing the length of the hind toe itself. These Lark-heeled Cuckoos do not occur in Europe, but are found all over Africa, India, and Burmah, to China, and throughout the Malayan Archipelago to Australia. They frequent the thick bush, and have a very similar call-note, which has been rendered by some observers as resembling the syllables “bop bop,” while on the West Coast of Africa, from their cry “hoot, hoot,” they have been nicknamed by the colonists the “Scotchman.” Writing of the Eyebrowed Lark-heel, Mr. Thomas Ayres says:—“This bird frequents the dense bush, and principally lives amongst impenetrable creepers, where it hunts about in search of the insects which it feeds upon; if disturbed, it flies but a short distance. The note is a loud, melancholy, cooing noise; they call most in wet weather. They are fond of getting up into trees that are covered with creeping plants, and sunning themselves; they generally fly on to the lower part, and then gradually hop upwards till they gain the top, but they can fly a very short distance at a time, and are easily caught if chased out into the open grass, though they lie very close, and it requires a good dog to find them. If disturbed, they immediately fly to the thickest cover near at hand, and commence running, like the Rails.” Mr. Ayres says that they feed on Grasshoppers, Caterpillars, and other insects; but Mr. Rickard, another excellent field naturalist, in South Africa has found a small Snake and Locusts in their stomachs, one having a small bird—a White-eye (Zosterops)—inside him. The Lark-heeled Cuckoos are not parasitic, like the true Cuckoos and many others: that is to say, they build their own nests, and do not employ the nests of other birds to place their eggs in. When hatched, the young birds are very curious, being covered with long hairs and bristles. In colour the Lark-heels are for the most part rufous, with black heads, but some of them are almost entirely rufous, the shafts of all the feathers much stiffened, so that the plumage lies very close, which must be of advantage to birds who have to climb a great deal amongst the lianas and creepers of tropical forests.
Of the Indian Coucal (Centropus bengalensis) an interesting account is given by Mr. Gammie, which affords a very good idea of the habits of these Bush Cuckoos. He says:—“This species has increased largely of late. Among grassy scrub, up to 3,500 feet, it is now abundant, where, only a few years ago, it was rarely to be found. In the earlier part of the rainy season its odd, monotonous notes are to be heard in every direction. I am not sure that the male calls, but have shot the female—as I found by dissection—when calling. It has a call of a double series of notes: ‘whoot, whoot, whoot, whoot;’ then, after a pause of four or five seconds, ‘kurook, kurook, kurook, kurook.’ The ‘whoot’ is quite ventriloquistic, sounding as if it came from a distance of six or seven yards from the bird. Before calling, it seats itself about five feet from the ground; then you see it draw its neck and body together, slightly puffing out its body-feathers, raising its back, and depressing its tail, and for every ‘whoot’ there is a violent throb of the body, as if the bird was in great pain; at the same time the motion of the throat is scarcely perceptible, and its bill is closed. Then, as if greatly relieved, it stretches itself out, the feathers fall smooth, and with open mouth and throbbing throat comes the ‘kurook,’ without the slightest attempt at ventriloquism. When searching for the caller, one must take no notice of the ‘whoot,’ but wait for the ‘kurook.’ It feeds almost entirely on Grasshoppers, and frequents the open, scrubby tracts only. I have never once seen it in larger forests.”[249]
The Malkohas are another remarkable group of the Bush Cuckoos, and are found throughout India, Ceylon, the Indo-Malayan region and islands, as far as the Celebes. The genera differ principally in the shape of the nostril; and although differences of structure are usually considered sufficient characters on which to found distinctions of genus, some ornithologists are of opinion that the variation in the form of the nostril only separates them as species. One of the most remarkable of these Bush Cuckoos is the Carpococcyx radiatus of Borneo, which, when alive, is stated by Mr. Wallace to resemble a Pheasant in appearance and gait. It lives much on the ground, and is often caught by the Malays in the snares which they set for Argus Pheasants and other game-birds. In Madagascar they are represented by the Couas (Sericosomus), of which there are no less than ten species found in that island. They are the inhabitants of the Palestrina forests, where their monotonous notes are often heard. The cry of the Blue Cuckoo is said by Messrs. Pollen and Van Dam to resemble the syllables cir-cir-cir, while that of the Crested Coua (S. cristatus) is toc-toc-toc. When calling, the latter bird raises its crest and flaps its tail and wings. Its flight is difficult and generally descending, and the bird never flaps its wings when it flies. It is ordinarily seen on the lower branches of the trees, and loves to repose during the great heat of the day in the sheltered parts of the trees, resting on the branches and puffing out its feathers.
In America there are several allied forms of Bush Cuckoos, many of which frequent the ground, one of the most interesting being the Geococcyx californianus, which is called the “Road-runner,” and is a bird of such powers of running that it is sometimes hunted on horseback and pursued with hounds, a test of fleetness in which it is said often to make a longer race than its pursuers anticipated.
THE COMMON CUCKOO (Cuculus canorus).