Giant Coua Coua gigas - some photos and notes

Giant Coua Coua gigas

Giant Coua, Berenty Reserve, Madagascar 2016 - click for larger image

Berenty Reserve, Madagascar
November 2016

The Giant Coua is endemic to Madagascar where it is distributed in the west of the island with a disjunct population in the south-east where these photos were taken. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is found in deciduous forest, semi-arid thorn scrub and gallery forest up to 800 metres. It prefers tall trees with limited undergrowth.

It is large with a stout bill and a long tail with white tip. It has greenish upperparts, orangy-rufous on the chest and belly, blue around the eyes with a pink spot and a black line surrounding.

Although it nests in the trees it is mainly terrestrial foraging on the ground for insects and sometimes seeds.

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