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Order
Passeriformes
Family
Campephagidae
Genus
Coracina
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Grauer's Cuckooshrike Coracina graueri Scientific name definitions

Barry Taylor
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2005

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

c. 22 cm. Grey and white cuckoo-shrike with relatively fine bill. Male has entire head, upperparts and breast dark slate-grey, blacker on lores, around eye and from chin to breast; slight greenish-blue gloss on upperparts, side of neck and breast; wings dark slate-grey, glossy blue-green edges of secondaries, tertials and upperwing-coverts; alula and primaries black; tail black with bluish sheen, outer two feathers tipped white; underparts white, lower flanks and thighs medium grey; underwing-coverts and axillaries white; iris dark brown; bill black; legs blackish-grey. Differs from similar C. pectoralis by smaller size, darker grey head, upperparts and breast; from C. caesius by white underparts. Female is slightly paler above than male, medium grey on side of head and neck, and chin to upper breast, darker lores, and has pale buff undertail-coverts. Juvenile is like female, but forehead light grey, lores spotted black, throat grey with some blackish feathers, undertail-coverts beige; immature not fully described.

Systematics History

Relatively fine bill and colour of upperparts suggest possible link with C. cinereus. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

E DRCongo.

Habitat

Montane and transitional forest, at 1150–1900 m. Separated altitudinally from Cyanograucalus azureus, which occurs at lower elevations (below 1190 m); typically at lower elevations than C. caesius.

Movement

Apparently sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Feeds mainly on caterpillars (including hairy ones). Foraging in canopy and middle levels, also in understorey.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Undescribed.

Breeding

Laying dates Jan, May and Jun, at end of rains. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Restricted-range species: present in Albertine Rift Mountains EBA. Extremely local and uncommon within its small range. Found only in highlands along W side of Albertine Rift from Djugu and Mongbwalu (W of L Albert) S to Lutunguru (W of L Edward); also from Mt Kahuzi S to R Elila W of Uvira. Potentially threatened by forest clearance for slash-and-burn agriculture, and by unregulated logging.
Distribution of the Grauer's Cuckooshrike - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Grauer's Cuckooshrike

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Taylor, B. (2020). Grauer's Cuckooshrike (Coracina graueri), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gracus1.01
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