Long-tailed Cuckoo
Encyclopedia
The Long-tailed Cuckoo (Eudynamis taitensis), also known as the Long-tailed Koel or the Koekoeā in Māori
, is a species of cuckoo
in the Cuculidae family. The species breeds in New Zealand
, and migrates to the islands of the western Pacific in the winter.
The Long-tailed Cuckoo is a brood parasite
, laying its eggs in the nests of Yellowheads
, Whiteheads
and Brown Creepers
. The eggs hatch before those of the host do so and the young chicks eject the eggs of the host. Long-tail Cuckoo chicks are able to mimic the calls of their host's chicks.
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
, is a species of cuckoo
Cuckoo
The cuckoos are a family, Cuculidae, of near passerine birds. The order Cuculiformes, in addition to the cuckoos, also includes the turacos . Some zoologists and taxonomists have also included the unique Hoatzin in the Cuculiformes, but its taxonomy remains in dispute...
in the Cuculidae family. The species breeds in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and migrates to the islands of the western Pacific in the winter.
The Long-tailed Cuckoo is a brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
, laying its eggs in the nests of Yellowheads
Yellowhead (bird)
The Yellowhead or Mohua is a small insectivorous, passerine bird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand...
, Whiteheads
Whitehead (bird)
The Whitehead or Pōpokotea is a small species of passerine bird endemic to New Zealand...
and Brown Creepers
Brown Creeper (New Zealand)
The Brown Creeper , also known by its Māori name, Pipipi, is a small passerine bird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. They are specialist insectivores, gleaning insects from branches and leaves...
. The eggs hatch before those of the host do so and the young chicks eject the eggs of the host. Long-tail Cuckoo chicks are able to mimic the calls of their host's chicks.