Large cuckooshrike (Coracina macei)

Bukit Fraser, Malaysia. Jul 22, 2015.

comments (3)

WildFlower

Lion

Are you sure about this one, isn't it too small? Posted 9 years ago
1. Thibaud Aronson
  
  Lion
  
  Ah well that's a bit of a strange one. It's part of a massive superspecies that's already been split 6 or 7 ways. C. macei at the present still has 8 subspecies, ranging from Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur. I've seen C. m. layardi in Sri Lanka, and C. m. nipalensis in southern Bhutan, and they look pretty much alike. This is C. m. larutensis, which I agree looks pretty different, and is separated from the other subspecies by over 500 km. Some have argued for sinking it within C. javensis which, as it is currently understood, is endemic to Java, but I don't think that makes much sense either. Basically, this will probably be given specific status at some point in the future, but for the moment, it is still part of the Large cuckooshrike. Posted 9 years ago
2. 1. WildFlower
    
    Lion
    
    OK, thanks for the explanation. It sure looks much smaller than the one from Sri Lanka so at least the common name is not appropriate for this one ;)
    I added the distribution of the subspecies in the description. Posted 9 years ago, modified 9 years ago

The Large cuckooshrike

The large cuckooshrike is a species of cuckooshrike found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are mostly insectivorous and usually fly just above the forest canopy. They have a loud call "klu-eep" and have a characteristic habit of shrugging their closed wings shortly after landing on a perch.

Info 3 0

Similar species: Perching Birds

Species identified by Thibaud Aronson

By Thibaud Aronson

Uploaded Jul 30, 2016. Captured Jul 22, 2015 05:24 in 56, Bukit Fraser, 49000 Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia.

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PENTAX K-3
f/5.0
1/200s
ISO1600
300mm

Captured in the summer. More summer photos.