Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Blue-faced Malkoha

Phaenicophaeus viridirostris (Jerdon, 1840)

67 gWeight

The blue-faced malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris) or small green-billed malkoha, is a non-parasitic cuckoo found in the scrub and deciduous forests of peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

Busiest months: December–February · Most records: India, Sri Lanka

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Blue-faced Malkoha has been recorded at 115 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Valley SchoolIndia1,669 records
  2. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural HistoryIndia1,017 records
  3. GKVK CampusIndia843 records
More places
  1. Ankasamudra Bird SanctuaryIndia557 records
  2. Hessaraghatta KereIndia475 records
  3. Yala National ParkSri Lanka473 records
  4. Manjeera Wildlife SanctuaryIndia443 records
  5. Rishi Valley – School CampusIndia401 records
  6. Eshwar Nagar, ManipalIndia389 records
  7. Madayi ParaIndia383 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaSri Lanka

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The blue-faced malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris) or small green-billed malkoha, is a non-parasitic cuckoo found in the scrub and deciduous forests of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. It has a waxy, dark, blue-grey plumage on its upperparts and has a long tail with graduated white-tipped feathers. The throat and chin are dark with spiny pale feathers that are branched.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Blue-faced Malkoha?

The Blue-faced Malkoha weighs around 67 g.

Where does the Blue-faced Malkoha live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: southern India and Sri Lanka. It is most often recorded in India and Sri Lanka.

When is the best time to see the Blue-faced Malkoha?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Blue-faced Malkoha endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue-faced Malkoha as Least Concern.

What does the Blue-faced Malkoha eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Blue-faced Malkoha in?

It belongs to the family Cuckoos (Cuculidae), order Cuculiformes.

At a glance

Weight
67 g
Habitat
Woodland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
136 mm
Tail
226 mm
Bill
32 mm
Tarsus
34 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: southern India and Sri Lanka

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Cuckoos Cuculidae
Genus
Phaenicophaeus

Other birds in the genus Phaenicophaeus

Chestnut-breasted MalkohaChestnut-breasted MalkohaPhaenicophaeus curvirostrisMentawai MalkohaMentawai MalkohaPhaenicophaeus oeneicaudusRed-faced MalkohaRed-faced MalkohaPhaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalusChestnut-bellied MalkohaChestnut-bellied MalkohaPhaenicophaeus sumatranusBlack-bellied MalkohaBlack-bellied MalkohaPhaenicophaeus diardiGreen-billed MalkohaGreen-billed MalkohaPhaenicophaeus tristisGuira CuckooGuira CuckooGuira guiraGreater AniGreater AniCrotophaga majorSmooth-billed AniSmooth-billed AniCrotophaga aniGroove-billed AniGroove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
Blue-faced Malkoha

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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