Cacomantis Explained
Cacomantis is a genus of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. The genus name is derived from the Greek kakos meaning evil or ill-boding and mantis for prophet and is derived from their association with "rains" being supposed to be predicted as also ill fortune and bad weather. Most of them have a round nostril and are mainly in brown and gray colours. The tails are graduated and barred. The bars are transverse in sonneratii and oblique in all others.[1]
Taxonomy
The genus Cacomantis was introduced in 1843 by the German naturalist Salomon Müller with the plaintive cuckoo as the type species.[2] [3] The genus name is from the Ancient Greek kakomantis meaning "prophet of doom".[4]
Species
The genus contains ten species:[5]
- Pallid cuckoo, Cacomantis pallidus
- White-crowned cuckoo, Cacomantis leucolophus
- Chestnut-breasted cuckoo, Cacomantis castaneiventris
- Fan-tailed cuckoo, Cacomantis flabelliformis
- Banded bay cuckoo, Cacomantis sonneratii
- Plaintive cuckoo, Cacomantis merulinus
- Grey-bellied cuckoo, Cacomantis passerinus
- Brush cuckoo, Cacomantis variolosus
- Rusty-breasted cuckoo, Cacomantis sepulcralis
- Moluccan cuckoo, Cacomantis aeruginosus
Notes and References
- Payne, RB (2005). The Cuckoos. Oxford University Press. p. 422
- Book: Müller, Salomon . Salomon Müller . 1843 . Verhandelingen over de natuurlijke geschiedenis . 1: Land-en Volkenkunde . Dutch . Leiden . In commissie bij. S. en J. Luchtmans en C.C. van der Hoek . 177, Footnote .
- Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1940 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 4 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 22 .
- Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 82 .
- Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . July 2021 . Turacos, bustards, cuckoos, mesites, sandgrouse . IOC World Bird List Version 11.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 5 August 2021.
