Cochoa Explained
The cochoas (from cocho, Nepali for Cochoa purpurea)[1] are medium-sized frugivorous, insectivorous and molluscivorous birds in the genus Cochoa. Their bright contrasting plumage patterns, sexual dimorphism and feeding habits made their systematic position difficult to ascertain in early times, Richard Bowdler Sharpe placed them with the Prionopidae in 1879 while many considered them as some kind of aberrant thrush.[2] The genus was previously included in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae but molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that it is more closely related to the thrush family Turdidae.[3] [4] [5]
Species
These are southeast Asian forest-dwelling species, often found near water.The genus contains the following species:[6]
| Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|
| Purple cochoa | Cochoa purpurea | Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam |
| Green cochoa | Cochoa viridis | Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly Bhutan. |
| Sumatran cochoa | Cochoa beccarii | Indonesia. |
| Javan cochoa | Cochoa azurea | Indonesia. |
|
Notes and References
- Book: Jobling, James A.. A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. registration. Oxford University Press. 1991. 57. 0-19-854634-3 .
- Ripley SD. 1952. The thrushes. Postilla. 13. 1–48.
- Voelker . G. . Spellman . G.M.. 2004 . Nuclear and mitochondrial evidence of polyphyly in the avian superfamily Musicapoidea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 30 . 2 . 386–394 . 10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00191-X . 14715230 .
- Klicka . J. . Voelker . G. . Spellman . G.M. . A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the "true thrushes" (Aves: Turdinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 34. 3 . 2005. 486–500 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.001 . 15683924. 2005MolPE..34..486K .
- Sangster . G. . Alström . P. . Forsmark . E. . Olsson . U. . 2010 . Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 57 . 1 . 380–392 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008 . 20656044 . 2010MolPE..57..380S . 2010-10-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160412051754/http://www.nrm.se/download/18.3ebfe5cf12a9d3ebacb80002787/Sangster+et+al+2010+Muscicapidae+MPE.pdf . 2016-04-12 . dead .
- Web site: Gill . Frank . Donsker . David . 2016 . Chats, Old World flycatchers . World Bird List Version 6.2 . International Ornithologists' Union. 20 May 2016 .
