Conservation status: LEAST CONCERN
Common name: Violet cuckoo
Scientific name: Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
Type: bird
Diet: insects
Length: 17 cm
Weight: 21 g
Description: 17 cm (6.5 in). Male: Iridescent dark purple head, upperparts and upper breast together with bright orange bill with red base diagnostic. Belly white, marked with dark purple bars. Female: Orange bill (duller than male), reddish bronze (with slight greenish tinge) forehead, crown, nape and upperparts and rufous outer tail feathers. Underparts whitish marked with dark bars; finer on throat and breast and bolder on belly. Orbital skin reddish on both sexes. In flight both sexes show white band on underwing. Voice: Disyllabic ke-vik, usually uttered in flight. Also a shrill and rapid trill. Status and distribution: Locally common resident, passage migrant and winter visitor from low elevations up to 500 m, south to Singapore, where it is uncommon. Occurs above 900 m only during autumn and spring passage. Habitat: Forests, forest edge, plantations. Habits: Frequents the canopy and crowns of tall trees. Forages mainly in dense foliage, sometimes coming out to call on exposed perches. Has dippy flight.
References
- A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore by Allen Jeyarajasingam
- BirdLife International (2012). “Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus“. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- https://singaporebirdgroup.wordpress.com/tag/violet-cuckoo/
Animals in South-East Asia 