Crested coua

The adult crested coua is a medium-sized bird, averaging between 12 and 17 inches (30 to 44 cm) in length.[8][9] It has a greenish-gray plumage on the back, a white abdomen, rufous-colored chest and brown eyes. Its long tail is purplish-blue with white tips and its bill and beak are black. Its defining characteristics are its prominent grey head crest and, as goes for all couas, its colourful patches of bare skin around the eyes, which is blue and turquoise in crested couas. In flight, it is recognizable from its short rounded wings and long white-tipped tail.[10]

Furthermore, this bird's third toe is reversible, which helps it have a strong grip when hopping around high branches in the canopy. Although they are common birds in their range, they can be hard to see in the wild since their greenish-gray coloration tends to blend with shadows and acting as camouflage.[11] Males and females are similar physically.

Juveniles are comparable to adult crested couas however, they are paler in colour, have a shorter head crest and do not have the characteristic bright blue and turquoise ring around the eye.[12]

Young chicks are altricial, which means they are naked at birth and need full parental attention for their early development.[13] During that time, they have unique red and white "bullseyes" inside their mouth, supposedly used to indicate to their parents where to put the food. This characteristic is thought to be particularly useful at darker hours of the day.[8][9] They also have a dark skin and a reddish bill at that stage.

The crested coua has four subspecies:[2]

• Coua cristata cristata
• Coua cristata dumonti
• Coua cristata pyropyga
• Coua cristata maxima: Only known from a single specimen. It is now possibly extinct (late 20th century) or a hybrid.[4]

They are highly vocal birds and have several different calls that we can hear in the wild.[6] The most commons are “laser gun calls”, which are a series of piercing sounds, and doubled, wooden “touk-touk” sounds.[19] It is also possible to hear calls such as “koa-koa-koa” and “guay-guay-guay-guay-gwuck”.[9][20] Its call can sometimes serve as an indicator of predator presence in the environment.[16]

Couas, like many birds, tend to be more vocal around sunset, often creating mixed chorus with other species.[21] They also raise their head crest while calling.[7]

Breeding crested couas are usually found in monogamous pairs.[13] Unlike some other species of cuckoos, these birds do not take part in brood parasitism, but rather, both male and female co-parent the chicks.[8] The pair builds their nest themselves out of twigs and hide it in trees or bushes to avoid detection by predators. Two single white eggs are laid and incubated by both parents.[22] The chicks are born altricial with both parents equally helping in raising the young until they are about two weeks old, when they leave the nest. Couas have low fecundity, but they have a high adult longevity (up to 15 years in captivity), which is why they can afford to have a smaller brood size. Additionally, because of their short young-rearing period, it is possible for them to have several clutches in one breeding season, which is from September to March.[20]

They have an omnivorous diet consisting of arthropods, fruits, berries, snails, chameleons, leaves, seeds and others. They essentially feed on everything size appropriate that they find in their environment.[20][7]