General Information

The Sumatran Ground-cuckoo is known to be one of the world's most rare and secretive birds, and is restricted to Sumatra's deep jungles and rainforests.

Physical Description

It is quite large and can grow up to 55cm long. It is a long-tailed terrestrial cuckoo.The plumage is green on the upperparts with a black crown, green bill and legs. The bare skin is a bluish green color on top with brown below.

Diet

It is a ground-dweller, presumably feeding on small vertebrates and large invertebrates on the forest floor.

Habitat

An Indonesian endemic, the Sumatran Ground Cuckoo lives in the rainforests of southern Sumatra. It was rediscovered and photographed in 1997; before that it was though to be extinct. In 2006, the Sumatran Cuckoo was estimated at less than 250 birds. 

Reproduction

The female normally lays a clutch of 8-16 white eggs, usually in a tree hole or hollow, which are incubated for 35 days. Once the eggs begin to hatch it may take 24 hours for all the chicks to break through their shells. When they are born, they usually stay with their mother for about 10-12 weeks before fledging.