Centropus

Belongs within: Cuculidae.

Centropus, coucals, are medium-sized to large, mostly terrestrial cuckoos found in the Old World tropics. Coucals build bulky domed nests on or near the ground, and the males often provide the majority of parental care. About thirty species are currently recognised including the greater coucal C. sinensis, a black species with red wings that is widespread in southern Asia.

Characters (Austin 1961): Mostly dark; 12 to 30 inches in length; feathering stiff and sparse on head, neck and breast. Bill stout, down-curved; wings short, rounded; tail long, rounded; legs long, heavy; hind toe with long, sharp, straight claw, as long as or longer than the toe itself.

<==Centropus Illiger 1811 (see below for synonymy)B94
    |  i. s.: C. andamanensisJT12
    |         C. burchelliiAP21 [=C. superciliosus burchelliiRN72]
    |         C. cirkeerE42
    |         C. madagascariensis [incl. C. lafresnayi]S66
    |         C. nigricansRN72
    |         C. philippensisE42
    |         C. rufipennisB66
    |         C. spilopterusJT12
    |--+--C. miloJT12
    |  `--+--C. ateralbusJT12
    |     `--+--C. chalybeusJT12
    |        `--C. menbekiJT12
    `--+--+--C. melanopsJT12
       |  `--+--C. rectunguisJT12
       |     `--C. steeriiJT12
       `--+--+--C. chlororhynchusJT12
          |  `--C. unirufusJT12
          `--+--C. celebensisJT12
             `--+--+--+--C. anselli Sharpe 1874JT12, M-PG70
                |  |  `--C. leucogaster (Leach 1814)JT12, M-PG70 [=Polophilus leucogasterM-PG70]
                |  |       |--C. l. leucogasterM-PG70
                |  |       |--C. l. efulenensis Sharpe 1904M-PG70
                |  |       `--C. l. neumanni Alexander 1908M=PG70
                |  `--+--C. senegalensis (Linnaeus 1766)JT12, M-PG70 [=Cuculus senegalensisM-PG70]
                |     |    |--C. s. senegalensisRN72
                |     |    |--C. s. aegyptisRN72
                |     |    |--C. s. flecki Reichenow 1893M-PG70
                |     |    `--C. s. incertusRN72
                |     `--+--C. monachus Rüppell 1837JT12, S05
                |        |    |--C. m. monachusM-PG70
                |        |    `--C. m. fischeri Reichenow 1887 [incl. C. monachus occidentalis]M-PG70
                |        `--+--C. cupreicaudus Reichenow 1896JT12, M-PG70 [=C. monachus cupreicaudusM-PG70]
                |           `--C. superciliosusJT12
                |                |--C. s. superciliosusRN72
                |                |--C. s. loandae Grant 1915M-PG70
                |                `--C. s. sokotraeRN72
                `--+--+--C. nigrorufusJT12
                   |  `--C. sinensisJT12
                   `--+--+--C. grillii Hartlaub 1861JT12, M-PG70 [=C. toulou grilliiM-PG70]
                      |  |    |--C. g. grilliiRN72
                      |  |    |--C. g. caeruleicepsRN72
                      |  |    `--C. g. wahlbergiRN72
                      |  `--+--C. bengalensisJT12
                      |     |    |--C. b. bengalensisRN72
                      |     |    |--C. b. javanensisRN72
                      |     |    |--C. b. lignatorRN72
                      |     |    |--C. b. mediusRN72
                      |     |    `--C. b. sarasinorumRN72
                      |     `--C. viridisJT12
                      `--+--C. toulouJT12
                         `--+--C. goliathJT12
                            `--+--C. violaceusJT12
                               `--+--C. bernsteiniJT12
                                  |    |--C. b. bernsteiniRN72
                                  |    `--C. b. manamRN72
                                  `--C. phasianinus (Latham 1801)JT12, WS48 [=Cuculus phasianinusWS48]
                                       |--C. p. phasianinusWS48 (see below for synonymy)
                                       `--C. p. thierfelderiM03

Centropus Illiger 1811 [incl. Nisus Möhring 1752 (pre-Linnean) non Lacépède 1799, Polophilus Leach 1814; Centropodidae, Centropodinae]^B94

Centropus phasianinus phasianinus (Latham 1801)^WS48 [incl. Polophilus phasianinus highami Mathews 1922^WS48, C. phasianinus highami^M03, C. melanurus Gould 1847^WS48, C. phasianinus melanurus^M03]

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[AP21] Arlott, N., & B. van Perlo. 2021. Collins Birds of the World. William Collins.

Austin, O. L., Jr. 1961. Birds of the World: A survey of the twenty-seven orders and one hundred and fifty-five families. Paul Hamlyn: London.

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.

[B66] Bulger, G. E. 1866. List of birds observed at Wellington, Neilgherry Hills, about 6000 feet above the level of the sea, during the months of April and May, 1866. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 568–571.

[E42] Ewer, W. 1842. List of a collection of birds from India. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 10: 91–93.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[M-PG70] Mackworth-Praed, C. W., & C. H. B. Grant. 1970. African Handbook of Birds ser. 3 vol. 1. Birds of West Central and Western Africa. Longman: London.

[M03] Morcombe, M. 2003. Field Guide to Australian Birds 2^nd ed. Steve Parish Publishing.

[RN72] Rutgers, A., & K. A. Norris (eds.) 1972. Encyclopaedia of Aviculture vol. 2. Blandford Press: London.

[S66] Schlegel, H. 1866. Communication from, on mammals and birds collected in Madagascar. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 419–426.

[S05] Steinheimer, F. D. 2005. Eduard Rüppel’s avian types at the Natural History Museum, Tring (Aves). Senckenbergiana Biologica 85 (2): 233–264.

[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.