Malkoha
| Malkohas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sirkeer malkoha | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Phaenicophaeus Stephens, 1815 |
Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae, all in the genus Phaenicophaeus. The group name is derived from the Sinhala word for the red-faced malkoha; mal-koha meaning flower-cuckoo. These are all Asian tropical species. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek phoiniko- crimson, and phaes "eyes" or "face",[1] referring to the red-faced malkoha. However, the 'œ' was mistranscribed as 'æ'.[2]
Species in taxonomic order are:
- Black-bellied malkoha, Phaenicophaeus diardi
- Chestnut-bellied malkoha, Phaenicophaeus sumatranus
- Blue-faced malkoha, Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
- Green-billed malkoha, Phaenicophaeus tristis
- Sirkeer malkoha, Phaenicophaeus leschenaultii
- Red-billed malkoha, Phaenicophaeus javanicus
- Yellow-billed malkoha, Phaenicophaeus calyorhynchus
- Chestnut-breasted malkoha, Phaenicophaeus curvirostris
- Red-faced malkoha, Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus
- Rough-crested malkoha or red-crested malkoha, Phaenicophaeus superciliosus
- Scale-feathered malkoha, Phaenicophaeus cumingi
Raffles's malkoha ("P." chlorophaeus) is a highly distinct species and may not even be as closely related to malkohas as long believed. Its placement in a monotypic genus Rhinortha is supported by a morphological, molecular and behavioral evidence.
The green malkoha or yellowbill seems also distinct from the typical malkohas; it is placed in the monotypic genus Ceuthmochares.
References
- ↑ Liddell, Henry George and Robert Scott (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged Edition). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
- ↑ Payne RB, Sorenson MD (2005). The Cuckoos: Cuculidae. Oxford University Press. p. 294. ISBN 0-19-850213-3.
