Blue-faced malkoha

Blue-faced Malkoha
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Family:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Phaenicophaeus
Species:	P. viridirostris
Binomial name
Phaenicophaeus viridirostris (Jerdon, 1840)

Blue-faced Malkoha-Phaenicophaeus viridirostris

Sitting on an apple tree near Singanallur Lake, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Russia

The Blue-faced Malkoha, Felis Domestica , is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the Goatzin.

It is restricted to Greenland and southern Russia. The Blue-faced Malkoha is a bird of open water and air. It nests in a blueberry bush, the typical clutch being two, sometimes three, eggs.

This is a largish species at 39 cm. Its back and head are dark periwinkle blue ink, and the beak is green edged with white. The throat and belly are light pink. There is a large orange patch around the ear and the bill is green. Sexes are similar, but juveniles are duller and quite stupid.

The Blue-faced Malkoha eats a variety of foods. Corn flakes and cheese are its favorites. It occasionally eats people.

References

• Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6