Chestnut-breasted Malkoha

The Chestnut-breasted Malkoha is a large Cuckoo that lives in the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia Myanmar, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines. Currently there are six recognized subspecies.

Phaenicophaeus curvirostris

They are very striking looking birds, and are relatively large for a Cuckoo. Males and females have near identical plumage, which is a dark greenish-blue across the head and back, with a chestnut colored underside. They also have red skin patches around their eyes, adding additional color contrast.

Chestnut-breasted Malkohas typically live in pairs, and have a rather unique breeding habit among Cuckoos. While many of their family members will force others birds to raise their young, these Malkohas actually do the incubating, feeding, and raising themselves!

Another interesting fact about Malkohas in general is that these birds don't fly all that much. They typically move about the trees by hopping from branch to branch.

Chestnut-breasted Malkohas have a large range and a stable population.

IUCN Status : Least Concern

Location : Southeast Asia

Size : Length up to 19in (49cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Cuculiformes
Family : Cuculidae -- Genus : Phaenicophaeus -- Species : P. curvirostris

Comments

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km) from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status : Not Listed ...

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!

Animal A Day!

Search This Blog