The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Turacos, Cuckoos, Bustards and the Hoatzin.

For the next in our semi-regular series of official photographic guides, I thought it would be a good time to handle the Otidimorphae - a monophyletic taxonomic grouping which unites the turacos, cuckoos and bustards, and which is currently believed to be the sister group to the Columbimorphae which I handled in a previous thread. Considering how popular the turacos in particular are within captive collections, I suspect this may well be a thread where we enjoy a relatively-high level of photographic representation within the Zoochat gallery.

Moreover, given the fact that we are loathe to dedicate threads to overly-small avian groups - let alone monotypic orders - we have decided to also cover the Opisthocomiformes in this thread. Although the exact taxonomic placement of the hoatzin is still somewhat unclear, the weight of evidence at present tends to suggest that it may be nested within the Otidimorphae, or failing this perhaps represents a basal member of the Otidimorphae-Columbimorphae clade, and therefore dealing with the species within this thread is probably the most taxonomically-sound approach.

 

OPISTHOCOMIFORMES


This order comprises a single extant family, as follows:

OPISTHOCOMIDAE - Hoatzin (1 monotypic genus)
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OPISTHOCOMIDAE


This family contains a single genus, as follows:

Opisthocomus - Hoatzin (monotypic)

 

Opisthocomus


Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin)

The range of this species extends throughout much of South America east of the Andes, from southern Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas in the north, to northern Bolivia and west-central Brazil in the south.

Monotypic.

Photo by @ronnienl


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OTIDIMORPHAE



This clade comprises three extant orders and a total of three extant families, as follows:


CUCULIFORMES

CUCULIDAE - Cuckoos (36 genera, 149 species)


MUSOPHAGIFORMES

MUSOPHAGIDAE - Turacos (7 genera, 24 species)


OTIDIFORMES

OTIDIDAE - Bustards (12 genera, 26 species)
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CUCULIDAE


This family contains 36 extant genera, as follows:

Crotophaga - Anis (3 species)

Guira - Guira Cuckoo (monotypic)

Tapera - Striped Cuckoo (monotypic)

Dromococcyx - Pheasant and Pavonine Cuckoos (2 species)

Morococcyx - Lesser Ground-cuckoo (monotypic)

Geococcyx - Roadrunners (2 species)

Neomorphus - Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo and allies (4 species)

Coua - Couas (11 species)

Carpococcyx - Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo and allies (3 species)

Centropus - Coucals (28 species)

Rhinortha - Raffles' Malkoha (monotypic)

Ceuthmochares - Yellowbills (2 species)

Taccocua - Sirkeer Malkoha (monotypic)

Zanclostomus - Red-billed Malkoha (monotypic)

Phaenicophaeus - Chestnut-breasted Malkoha and allies (7 species)

Dasylophus - Red-crested Malkoha (monotypic)

Lepidogrammus - Scale-feathered Malkoha (monotypic)

Rhamphococcyx - Yellow-billed Malkoha (monotypic)

Clamator - Great Spotted Cuckoo and allies (4 species)

Coccycua - Little Cuckoo and allies (3 species)

Piaya - Squirrel-cuckoos (3 species)

Coccyzus - Yellow-billed Cuckoo and allies (14 species)

Pachycoccyx - Thick-billed Cuckoo (monotypic)

Microdynamis - Dwarf Koel (monotypic)

Eudynamys - Western and Eastern Koels (2 species)

Urodynamis - Long-tailed Koel (monotypic)

Scythrops - Channel-billed Cuckoo (monotypic)

Chalcites - Long-billed Cuckoo and allies (8 species)

Chrysococcyx - Emerald Cuckoos and allies (6 species)

Cacomantis - Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo and allies (7 species)

Heteroscenes - Pallid Cuckoo (monotypic)

Caliechthrus - White-crowned Cuckoo (monotypic)

Cercococcyx - Long-tailed Cuckoos (3 species)

Surniculus - Drongo-cuckoos (4 species)

Hierococcyx - Hawk-cuckoos (8 species)

Cuculus - True Cuckoos (10 species)
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Crotophaga


Greater Ani (Crotophaga major)

The range of this species extends throughout much of South America east of the Andes, from southeast Panama, Colombia and Venezuela in the north to northern Argentina and Uruguay in the south; disjunct populations exist west of the Andes in southwest Ecuador, and in Trinidad.

Monotypic.

Photo by @ronnienl




Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)

The range of this species extends from southern Florida into the Greater and Lesser Antilles, and from here through southern Central America into much of South America east of the Andes, from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas in the north to northeast Argentina and northern Uruguay in the south; on the western slope of the Andes populations extend into southwest Ecuador.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Newzooboy




Groove-billed Ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris)

The range of this species extends from south-central Texas into Mexico, and from here throughout Central America into northern Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, and south along the western slope of the Andes to northern Chile.

Monotypic.

Photo by @ralph


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Guira


Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira)

The range of this species extends from northeast Brazil and eastern Bolivia in the north to east-central Argentina in the south.

Monotypic.

Photo by @ThylacineAlive


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Tapera


Striped Cuckoo (Tapera naevia)

The range of this species extends from southern Mexico, throughout Central America and into South America as far south as northwest Peru on the western slope of the Andes, and northern Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and southeast Brazil to the east of the Andes.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.
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Dromococcyx


Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus)

The range of this species extends patchily from southern Mexico into Central America, and from here into Venezuela and the Guianas in the north, throughout much of South America east of the Andes to Bolivia, Paraguay and northeast Argentina in the south.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Pavonine Cuckoo (Dromococcyx pavoninus)

The range of this species represents a highly-patchy and fragmented distribution of disjunct populations throughout South America, the three largest extending throughout southern Venezuela and the western Guianas into northern Brazil; from eastern Peru and northern Bolivia into central Brazil; and from southern Paraguay and northeast Argentina into southeast Brazil.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.
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Morococcyx


Lesser Ground-cuckoo (Morococcyx erythropygus)

The range of this species extends patchily from coastal western Mexico in the north, through Central America to northwest Costa Rica and the Caribbean slope of Guatemala and Honduras in the south.

Two subspecies recognised:

M. e. mexicanus
M. e. erythropygus

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.
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Geococcyx


Lesser Roadrunner (Geococcyx velox)

The range of this species extends throughout much of Central America, from western Mexico to central Nicaragua; a disjunct population exists in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

The range of this species extends throughout southwest and south-central USA, and south throughout northern and central Mexico.

Monotypic.

Photo by @gentle lemur

 

Neomorphus


Rufous-vented Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi)

The range of this species extends in a highly-fragmented and patchy distribution of disjunct populations throughout much of Central and South America, from as far north as Nicaragua and as far south as southeast Brazil; absent from Venezuela and the Guianas, and much of central Brazil.

Seven subspecies recognised:

N. g. salvini
N. g. aequatorialis
N. g. australis
N. g. amazonicus
N. g. geoffroyi
N. g. squamiger
N. g. dulcis

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Banded Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus radiolosus)

The range of this species is restricted to the Andean foothills of southwest Ecuador and adjacent northwest Peru.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus rufipennis)

The range of this species is restricted to southeast Venezuela, Guiana and northernmost Brazil.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Red-billed Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus pucheranii)

The range of this species is restricted to the upper Amazon Basin, from Amazonian Colombia in the north to Amazonian Peru and western Brazil in the south.

Two subspecies recognised:

N. p. pucheranii
N. p. lepidophanes

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.
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Coua


Giant Coua (Coua gigas)

Endemic to western Madagascar, with a disjunct population found in the southeast.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Daniel Sörensen




Coquerel's Coua (Coua coquereli)

Endemic to western Madagascar.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Red-breasted Coua (Coua serriana)

Endemic to northeast Madagascar.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Red-fronted Coua (Coua reynaudii)

Endemic to much of northern, central and eastern Madagascar.

Monotypic.

Photo by @alexkant




Red-capped Coua (Coua ruficeps)

Endemic to northwest and west-central Madagascar,

Monotypic.

Photo by @lintworm




Running Coua (Coua cursor)

Endemic to coastal southwest and southern Madagascar.

Monotypic.

Photo by @lintworm




Olive-capped Coua (Coua olivaceiceps)

Endemic to southern and southwest Madagascar,

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Crested Coua (Coua cristata)

Endemic to much of Madagascar, barring the arid central hub and the southwest.

Three subspecies recognised:

C. c. cristata - photo by @ronnienl



C. c. dumonti
C. c. maxima


Chestnut-vented Coua (Coua pyropyga)

Endemic to southern and southwest Madagascar.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Verreaux's Coua (Coua verreauxi)

The range of this species is restricted to the extreme southwest oif Madagascar.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Blue Coua (Coua caerulea)

The range of this species extends throughout eastern and central Madagascar.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Tomek


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I'm pretty sure it is, but I was tired and wanted to get the post finished so reasoned I can always fix it later

 

Carpococcyx


Bornean Ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx radiceus)

Endemic to Borneo.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Sumatran Ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis)

Endemic to the mountains of southwest Sumatra.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Coral-billed Ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx renauldi)

The range of this species extends throughout western and central Indochina.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Merintia


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Centropus


Buff-headed Coucal (Centropus milo)

The range of this species is restricted to the west-central and southern Solomon Islands.

Two subspecies are recognised:

C. m. albidiventris
C. m. milo

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Pied Coucal (Centropus ateralbus)

Endemic to the Bismarck Archipelago.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Ivory-billed Coucal (Centropus menbeki)

The range of this species extends throughout the West Papuan and Aru Islands, and into New Guinea.

Three subspecies are recognised:

C. m. menbeki
C. m. jobiensis
C. m. aruensis

Photo by @Sun Wukong




Biak Coucal (Centropus chalybeus)

The range of this species is restricted to Biak Island in northern New Guinea.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Rufous Coucal (Centropus unirufus)

The range of this species extends throughout the northern Philippines.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Green-billed Coucal (Centropus chlororhynchos)

Endemic to southwest Sri Lanka.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Chlidonias




Black-faced Coucal (Centropus melanops)

The range of this species extends throughout the eastern and southern Philippines.

Two subspecies recognised:

C. m. banken
C. m. melanops

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Black-hooded Coucal (Centropus steerii)

Endemic to Mindoro in the northern Philippines.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Short-toed Coucal (Centropus rectunguis)

The range of this species extends throughout Peninsular Malaysia and into Sumatra and Borneo.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Bay Coucal (Centropus celebensis)

Endemic to Sulawesi and surrounding offshore islands.

Two subspecies recognised:

C. c. celebensis
C. c. rufescens

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Gabon Coucal (Centropus anselli)

The range of this species extends throughout the Congo Basin, from southern Cameroon to northwest Angola, and east to central DRC.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Black-throated Coucal (Centropus leucogaster)

The range of this species extends patchily and in a fragmented distribution throughout coastal West Africa into the Congo Basin, from southern Senegal in the west to northern Gabon in the east; a disjunct population exists in the northeast DRC and immediately-adjacent areas of western Uganda.

Three subspecies recognised:

C. l. leucogaster
C. l. efulenensis
C. l. neumanni

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Senegal Coucal (Centropus senegalensis)

The range of this species extends throughout much of the Sahel and adjacent areas of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to Eritrea and Ethiopia in the east, and south to northwest Angola, Uganda and northeast DRC; disjunct populations are present in the Nile Valley of Egypt, and from eastern Angola and northeast Namibia in the west to southwest Tanzania and Zimbabwe in the east.

Three subspecies are recognised:

C. s. aegyptius
C. s. senegalensis
C. s. flecki - photo by @Maguari




Blue-headed Coucal (Centropus monachus)

The range of this species extends patchily and in a highly-fragmented distribution throughout sub-Saharan Africa directly south of the Sahel, from Guinea and the Ivory Coast in the west to Eritrea and Ethiopia in the east, and south to northern Angola and northwest Tanzania.

Three subspecies are recognised:

C. m. occidentalis
C. m. fischeri
C. m. monachus

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.

 

Coppery-tailed Coucal (Centropus cupreicaudus)

The range of this species extends throughout south-central Africa, from north-central Angola in the west to southern Tanzania in the east, and south to northern Botswana.

Two subspecies are recognised:

C. c. cupreicaudus - photo by @Maguari



C. c. songweensis


White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus)

The range of this species extends throughout East Africa, from Eritrea and Ethiopia in the north to the Western Cape in the south, and also west through Zambia and southern DRC to Angola.

Four subspecies are recognised:

C. s. superciliosus - photo by @LaughingDove



C. s. loandae - photo by @ronnienl



C. s. fasciipygialis
C. s. burchellii - photo by @LaughingDove




Javan Coucal (Centropus nigrorufus)

Endemic to coastal regions of Java.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)

The range of this species extends throughout much of southern Asia, from the Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka in the west to southeast China in the east, and south through Indochina and the Malay Peninsula into the Greater Sundas and southern Philippines.

Six subspecies are recognised:

C. s. sinensis - photo by @Himimomi



C. s. parroti - photo by @Chlidonias



C. s. intermedius - photo by @Najade



C. s. anonymus
C. s. bubutus
C. s. kangeangensis


Andaman Coucal (Centropus andamanensis)

Endemic to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Goliath Coucal (Centropus goliath)

The range of this species extends throughout the northern Moluccas.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Madagascar Coucal (Centropus toulou)

The range of this species is restricted to Madagascar and the Aldabra islands.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Black Coucal (Centropus grillii)

The range of this species extends patchily throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal in the west to western Ethiopia in the east, and south to northeast Namibia in the west and Swaziland and adjacent areas of eastern South Africa in the east.

Monotypic.

Photo by @ronnienl




Philippine Coucal (Centropus viridis)

The range of this species extends throughout the Philippines.

Four subspecies recognised:

C. v. carpenteri
C. v. major
C. v. viridis
C. v. mindorensis

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)

The range of this species extends throughout much of southeast Asia, from north-central India and Nepal in the west to southeast China and Taiwan in the east, and south through Indochina, the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines, into the Greater and Lesser Sundas and the Moluccas.

Six subspecies are recognised:

C. b. bengalensis
C. b. lignator
C. b. javanensis - photo by @Chlidonias



C. b. philippinensis
C. b. sarasinorum
C. b. medius


Violaceous Coucal (Centropus violaceus)

The range of this species is restricted to New Britain and New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago.

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Black-billed Coucal (Centropus bernsteini)

The range of this species extends throughout much of New Guinea, barring the central highlands and the southeast.

Two subspecies are recognised:

C. b. bernsteini
C. b. manam

No photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.


Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinus)

The range of this species extends throughout coastal New Guinea and Timor in the north, and into northern and eastern Australia.

Seven subspecies are recognised:

C. p. mui
C. p. propinquus
C. p. obscuratus
C. p. nigricans
C. p. thierfelderi
C. p. melanurus - photo by @Hix



C. p. phasianinus - photo by @Terry Thomas




Kai Coucal (Centropus spilopterus)

Endemic to the Kai Islands of the southeast Moluccas

Monotypic; no photographs of this species are present in the Zoochat gallery.
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Rhinortha


Raffles's Malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea)

The range of this species extends from southern Myanmar into the Malay Peninsula, and from here throughout Sumatra and Borneo.

Monotypic.

Photo by @Hix


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