Red-faced malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus)

Red-faced Malkoha closeup in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka Here is the mother of all bird spottings in Sri Lanka. This bird is much sought after by birders. It is confined in its distribution to the Sinharaja forest. Furthermore, it really is a forest bird that is very active in the high canopy, and therefore not often seen, and even more difficult to photograph. As a result, only a few dozen photos are online of this species across the web.

This was a case where ignorance is bliss. We had never heard of this bird, despite having a birds book of the country. It just fell into our lap. We were on a path in Sinharaja when out of the blue the ranger went nuts and kept pulling me in all kind of directions to capture this bird. I was carrying the 80-400mm and was struggling for about 20 minutes to get glimpses of this active bird, still not understanding the big deal. Out of 70 or so shots, less than 10 were somewhat usable, and I'm sharing them all. Not to show off, but to attempt to put more of this bird online.

Asia,Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus,Red-faced malkoha,Sinharaja,Sri Lanka

Appearance

This is a large species at 46 cm with a long graduated tail. Its back is dark green, and the uppertail is green edged with white. The belly and undertail are white, the latter being barred black. The crown and throat are black, and the lower face white. There is a large red patch around the eye and the bill is green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are much duller.

Red-faced Malkoha full bird view (left) in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka Here is the mother of all bird spottings in Sri Lanka. This bird is much sought after by birders. It is confined in its distribution to the Sinharaja forest. Furthermore, it really is a forest bird that is very active in the high canopy, and therefore not often seen, and even more difficult to photograph. As a result, only a few dozen photos are online of this species across the web.

This was a case where ignorance is bliss. We had never heard of this bird, despite having a birds book of the country. It just fell into our lap. We were on a path in Sinharaja when out of the blue the ranger went nuts and kept pulling me in all kind of directions to capture this bird. I was carrying the 80-400mm and was struggling for about 20 minutes to get glimpses of this active bird, still not understanding the big deal. Out of 70 or so shots, less than 10 were somewhat usable, and I'm sharing them all. Not to show off, but to attempt to put more of this bird online. Asia,Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus,Red-faced malkoha,Sinharaja,Sri Lanka

Distribution

It is endemic to Sri Lanka although some old records have apparently erroneously referred to its presence in southern India. According to Baker , it is found in the 'South of Travancore, where it was obtained by Stewart together with its nests'. Later, Biddulph reported a red-faced malkoha in Madurai district, southern Tamil Nadu. Thilo Hoffmann later pointed out that this record would not stand up to a modern records committee, and it is now best disregarded.

The presence of red-faced malkoha in the island is largely confined to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and the surrounding vegetation, which is one of the biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Red-faced Malkoha captured caterpillar or larvae in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka Here is the mother of all bird spottings in Sri Lanka. This bird is much sought after by birders. It is confined in its distribution to the Sinharaja forest. Furthermore, it really is a forest bird that is very active in the high canopy, and therefore not often seen, and even more difficult to photograph. As a result, only a few dozen photos are online of this species across the web.

This was a case where ignorance is bliss. We had never heard of this bird, despite having a birds book of the country. It just fell into our lap. We were on a path in Sinharaja when out of the blue the ranger went nuts and kept pulling me in all kind of directions to capture this bird. I was carrying the 80-400mm and was struggling for about 20 minutes to get glimpses of this active bird, still not understanding the big deal. Out of 70 or so shots, less than 10 were somewhat usable, and I'm sharing them all. Not to show off, but to attempt to put more of this bird online. Asia,Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus,Red-faced malkoha,Sinharaja,Sri Lanka

Behavior

It nests in a tree, the typical clutch being 2-3 eggs. They are found in nearly half of the mixed-species foraging flocks in the Sinharaja area.

Unlike most cuckoos, this is a quiet species, making only the odd soft grunt.

Red-faced Malkoha sideview in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka Here is the mother of all bird spottings in Sri Lanka. This bird is much sought after by birders. It is confined in its distribution to the Sinharaja forest. Furthermore, it really is a forest bird that is very active in the high canopy, and therefore not often seen, and even more difficult to photograph. As a result, only a few dozen photos are online of this species across the web.

This was a case where ignorance is bliss. We had never heard of this bird, despite having a birds book of the country. It just fell into our lap. We were on a path in Sinharaja when out of the blue the ranger went nuts and kept pulling me in all kind of directions to capture this bird. I was carrying the 80-400mm and was struggling for about 20 minutes to get glimpses of this active bird, still not understanding the big deal. Out of 70 or so shots, less than 10 were somewhat usable, and I'm sharing them all. Not to show off, but to attempt to put more of this bird online. Asia,Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus,Red-faced malkoha,Sinharaja,Sri Lanka

Habitat

The red-faced malkoha is a bird of dense forests, where it can be difficult to see despite its size and colour.

Red-faced Malkoha full bird view (right) in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka Here is the mother of all bird spottings in Sri Lanka. This bird is much sought after by birders. It is confined in its distribution to the Sinharaja forest. Furthermore, it really is a forest bird that is very active in the high canopy, and therefore not often seen, and even more difficult to photograph. As a result, only a few dozen photos are online of this species across the web.

This was a case where ignorance is bliss. We had never heard of this bird, despite having a birds book of the country. It just fell into our lap. We were on a path in Sinharaja when out of the blue the ranger went nuts and kept pulling me in all kind of directions to capture this bird. I was carrying the 80-400mm and was struggling for about 20 minutes to get glimpses of this active bird, still not understanding the big deal. Out of 70 or so shots, less than 10 were somewhat usable, and I'm sharing them all. Not to show off, but to attempt to put more of this bird online. Asia,Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus,Red-faced malkoha,Sinharaja,Sri Lanka

Reproduction

It nests in a tree, the typical clutch being 2-3 eggs.

Red-faced Malkoha captured insect in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka Here is the mother of all bird spottings in Sri Lanka. This bird is much sought after by birders. It is confined in its distribution to the Sinharaja forest. Furthermore, it really is a forest bird that is very active in the high canopy, and therefore not often seen, and even more difficult to photograph. As a result, only a few dozen photos are online of this species across the web.

This was a case where ignorance is bliss. We had never heard of this bird, despite having a birds book of the country. It just fell into our lap. We were on a path in Sinharaja when out of the blue the ranger went nuts and kept pulling me in all kind of directions to capture this bird. I was carrying the 80-400mm and was struggling for about 20 minutes to get glimpses of this active bird, still not understanding the big deal. Out of 70 or so shots, less than 10 were somewhat usable, and I'm sharing them all. Not to show off, but to attempt to put more of this bird online. Asia,Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus,Red-faced malkoha,Sinharaja,Sri Lanka

Food

The red-faced malkoha takes a variety of insects including caterpillars, giant stick insects, mantises and small vertebrates such as lizard. It occasionally may eat berries but this needs confirmation.

Red-faced Malkoha probing for insects in Sinharaja, Sri Lanka Here is the mother of all bird spottings in Sri Lanka. This bird is much sought after by birders. It is confined in its distribution to the Sinharaja forest. Furthermore, it really is a forest bird that is very active in the high canopy, and therefore not often seen, and even more difficult to photograph. As a result, only a few dozen photos are online of this species across the web.

This was a case where ignorance is bliss. We had never heard of this bird, despite having a birds book of the country. It just fell into our lap. We were on a path in Sinharaja when out of the blue the ranger went nuts and kept pulling me in all kind of directions to capture this bird. I was carrying the 80-400mm and was struggling for about 20 minutes to get glimpses of this active bird, still not understanding the big deal. Out of 70 or so shots, less than 10 were somewhat usable, and I'm sharing them all. Not to show off, but to attempt to put more of this bird online. Asia,Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus,Red-faced malkoha,Sinharaja,Sri Lanka

Cultural

The common name for this species ''Malkoha'' is the vernacular name for the bird in Sinhala language. 'Mal-Koha' translates to 'flower-cuckoo'. Red-faced malkoha appears in a 5 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp,
Known as වත රතු මල්කොහා in Sinhala.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Status: Vulnerable
EX	EW	CR	EN	VU	NT	LC

Taxonomy
Kingdom	Animalia
Division	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Cuculiformes
Family	Cuculidae
Genus	Phaenicophaeus
Species	P. pyrrhocephalus

Photographed in
Sri Lanka