Biology:Hierococcyx
Hierococcyx or hawk-cuckoos is a genus of birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae. They are distributed in South, Southeast, and East Asia. The resemblance to hawks gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoos.
They are known to vocalize at their breeding grounds, making identification based on calls easy.[1]
Taxonomy
The genus Hierococcyx was introduced in 1845 by the German naturalists Salomon Müller to accommodate a single species, Cuculus fugax Horsfield, 1821, the Malaysian hawk-cuckoo.[2] This species is the type by monotypy.[3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ἱεραξ/hierax, ἱερακος/hierakos meaning "hawk" with κοκκυξ/kokkux, κοκκυγος/kokkugos meaning "cuckoo".[4]
In the past the genus was sometimes included in the genus Cuculus.[5]
Mimicry
Hawk-cuckoos closely resemble accipiters in terms of appearance, an elongated body with long wings and tail, greyish or brownish upperparts with paler barred upperparts, as well as their swift direct flight.[6]
Underpart barring, a form of Batesian mimicry, tends to alarm small birds targeted by hawk-cuckoos for brood parasitism beyond only shape and colour. The seemingly dangerous appearance of the cuckoo reduces host aggression or mobbing, resulting in more opportunities for the cuckoo to parasitise the host.[7]
Species
The genus contains eight species:[8]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120px | Moustached hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx vagans | southern Myanmar including Mergui Archipelago, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo |
| 120px | Large hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx sparverioides | breeds from Himalayas of northeastern Pakistan eastward to southern China, and southwards to hills south of the Brahmaputra River to Taiwan; winters from southern India (Eastern and Western Ghats) eastwards to lowlands of the Malay Peninsula |
| 120px | Dark hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx bocki | mountains of Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo |
| 120px | Common hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx varius | India to Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar; Sri Lanka |
| 120px | Northern hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx hyperythrus | breeds southeastern Siberia, northeastern China, Korea Peninsula, and Japan; winters to southeastern Asia, northern Borneo, and northern Sulawesi |
| 120px | Philippine hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx pectoralis | Philippines |
| 120px | Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx nisicolor | breeds Himalayas from eastern Nepal and hills south of the Brahmaputra River eastwards to eastern China, from southern Sichuan northeast to Jiangsu and southeast to Hainan, and northern southeastern Asia; winters to Greater Sundas |
| 120px | Malaysian hawk-cuckoo | Hierococcyx fugax | southern Thailand, Malay Peninsula, and Greater Sundas |
References
- ↑ Eaton, J. (2018). "Identification of Hierococcyx hawk cuckoos, and the first record of Northern Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx hyperythrus for continental South-East Asia". BirdingASIA 30: 68–73. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333745229.
- ↑ Müller, Salomon; Schlegel, Hermann (1845) (in Dutch). Verhandelingen over de natuurlijke geschiedenis. 1: Land- en Volkenkunde (Section 8). Leiden: In commissie bij. S. en J. Luchtmans en C.C. van der Hoek. p. 233, note. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/56902071. For the publication date see: Husson, A.M.; Holthuis, L.B. (1955). "The dates of publication of "Verhandelingen over de natuurlijke Geschiedenis der Nederlandsche overzeesche Bezittingen" edited by C. J. Temminck". Zoologische Mededelingen 34 (2): 17-24. https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/318953.
- ↑ Dickinson, E.C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr., eds (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. 1: Non-passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-9568611-0-8. https://archive.org/details/howardmoorecompl0001howa/page/148/mode/1up.
- ↑ Jobling, James A.. "Hierococcyx". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/key-to-scientific-names/search?q=Hierococcyx.
- ↑ Peters, James Lee, ed (1940). Check-List of Birds of the World. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 14. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14476466.
- ↑ Davies, N.B.; Welbergen, J.A. (2008). "Cuckoo–hawk mimicry? An experimental test". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 275 (1644): 1817–1822. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0331.
- ↑ Welbergen, J.A.; Davies, N.B. (2011). "A parasite in wolf's clothing: hawk mimicry reduces mobbing of cuckoos by hosts". Behavioral Ecology 22 (3): 574–579. doi:10.1093/beheco/arr008.
- ↑ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. http://www.avilist.org/checklist/v2025/.
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