Red-faced Malkoha

The red-faced malkoha is a large cuckoo endemic to Sri Lanka, 46 cm long with a long graduated tail. The back is dark green and the tail green edged with white. The belly is white, the undertail is barred black and white, the crown and throat are black, and there is a large red patch around the eye and a green bill. Males have a dark brown iris and females a creamy-white one (Wikipedia, species account).

It takes a variety of insects, including caterpillars, giant stick insects and mantises, and small vertebrates such as lizards. It is a quiet species, making only an occasional soft grunt. Its presence on the island is largely confined to Sinharaja Forest Reserve and the surrounding vegetation, and old records from southern India are now regarded as doubtful. Nationally Vulnerable (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).