Common Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Piaya (Creole name for species) cayana (of Cayenne, French Guiana)

Common Squirrel Cuckoo (Piaya cayana) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Piaya cayana thermophila
Weight: g/kg  /  Length: 43-46cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Named for its habit of clambering along branches with little flight involved, the squirrel cuckoo is an insectivore, particularly of larger insects like caterpillars and cicadas, although they will also take small lizards and amphibians. Unlike many cuckoos, they are not brood parasites, but construct their own nests by making a cup of leaves and twigs high in trees.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genugs: Piaya
SUBSPECIES: P. c. thermophila, P. c. nigricrissa, P. c. mehleri, P. c. mesura, P. c. circe, P. c. cayana, P. c. insulana, P. c. obscura, P. c. hellmayri, P. c. pallescens, P. c. cabanisi, P. c. macroura, P. c. mogenseni

 
- Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Cucu Ardilla Común
A common and widespread resident
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles and Alajuela

 Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology:  Crotophaga ("tick eating") sulcirostris ("furrow billed")

Two Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: None - monotypic
Weight: 70-90g  /  Length: 34cm  /  Wingspan: 41-46cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

An unusual member of the cuckoo family that instead of being a brood parasites actually nest communally and travel in small flocks. They build a single nest between the group and all females take turns in incubating and feeding the offspring. While the name crotophaga refers to the belief they pick ticks off larger animals, there is no evidence of this behaviour.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Crotophaga
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 
 
- Sighting Locations - 

COSTA RICA 
Found in the North of the Country
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus)

OTHER NAMES: Western Koel
Latin Etymology: Eudynamys ("fine power") scolopaceus ("woodcock")

Adult male Asian Koel (subspecies E. s. malayana) at Ang Mo Kio, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Eudynamys scolopaceus malayana
Weight: 190-327g  /  Length: 39-46cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Asian Koel is one of the most common avian residents of Singapore, but you are far more likely to hear one than see one unless you put the effort in.  You may very well in more wooded areas hear a "buWoo, buWOO, BUWOO" getting louder and higher pitched with each repetition.  It took me a few attempts to track down the instigator of this call - they seem to favour hiding in the canopy most of the time, but a bit of persistant and I finally tracked down a pair.  They are actually members of the cuckoo family, and, like that family is generally thought of, they are brood parasites.

Related Species:
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genugs: Eudynamys
SUBSPECIES: E. s. scolopaceus, E. s. chinensis, E. s. harterti, E. s. malayana, E. s. mindanensis

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - Common resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Fairly commonly heard in various locations, though only seen on one occassion.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Green-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis)

OTHER NAMES: Greater Green-billed Malkoha, Large Green-billed Malkoha

Latin Etymology: Phaenicophaeus ("crimson shining") tristis ("sad")

Adult Green-billed Malkoha (subspecies P. t. saliens) at Prek Toal, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Phaenicophaeus tristis saliens
Weight: 114g  /  Length: 56cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Malkohas are a group of exclusively tropical-Asian non-parasitic Cuckoos with seemingly a more omnivorous diet than the Cuckoo species of Europe - the word itself coming from the Sinhala language of Sri-Lanka and means "Flower Cuckoo".  As for the green-billed malkoha in particular, the name is a little misleading in as far as having a green bill is actually a fairly common feature within the family. More distinctive is that is is larger than the other family members in the region and has a comparatively plain plumage of greys and blue-greens.

Related Species:
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genugs: Phaenicophaeus
Subspecies: P. t. tristis, P. t. saliens, P. t. hainanus, P. t. longicaudatus, P. t. elongatus, P. t. kangeangensis 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer - តុកកាតូ 

A fairly common resident..

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: One at Prek Toal,

MALAYSIA - Malay - Cenuk Besar 

A fairly common and widespread resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: A single bird sighted in the Genting Highlands

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Clamator ("shouter") glandarius ("of acorns")

                                                     Great Spotted Cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) at Side, Antalya, Turkey - March 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 140-170g  /  Length: 35-39cm  /  Wingspan: 58-60cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Great Spotted Cuckoo is like it's more familiar relative, a brood parasite, although the range of this species is much more restricted.  In Europe the majority of it's range is in Spain, Portugal and Turkey, though it also has some small population in a few other countries.  As with the Common Cuckoo, it Winters in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is apparently fairly tricky to see though; there is a fairly limited window between the time it arrives and then heads up into the mountains to feed. 

Related Species:
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Clamator
Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Críalo

Scarce and Local Summer Migrant

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Two seen briefly from moving car at Oropesa 

TURKEY  -   Turkish: Tepeli guguk ("Crested Cuckoo")
 - ANTALYA 2025 TRIP - One near Side.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

OTHER NAMES: Cuckoo, Gowk
Latin Etymology: Cuculus ("cuckoo") canorus ("melodious")

Adult female Common Cuckoo (subspecies C. c. canorus) at Rutland Water, Rutland - May 2024

Featured Subspecies: Cuculus canorus canorus
Weight: 115g  /  Length: 32-36cm  /  Wingspan: 55-60cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Cuckoos have numerous things of note to them - they are the only members of their genus found regularly in the UK. They are also famous for their parental techniques - they are brood parasites - they plant their eggs in the nests of other birds to get them to do them for them. They are easily found when they are around by their loud and distinctive call - the "cuckoo" sound of their name. As with many African migrant species however, there have been some harsh declines in recent history, primarily due to trapping migratory species en-route.

Related Species:
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Cuculus
Subspecies: C. c. bangsi, C. c. canorus, C. c. subtelephonus, C. c. bakeri

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - An uncommon Summer breeding migrant (16,000 pairs)

 - Birds heard in Geddington most years, but rarely seen, also seen and heard at Fermyn Woods and Cliffe Pools

ITALY - Italian - Cuculo ("cuckoo")

A localised resident in coniferous areas

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP: Several heard on Mount Etna

SPAIN - Spanish - Cuco ("cuckoo")

A Summer migrant (subspecies C. c. bangsi)

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Several birds heard at El Pardo

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .