Hooded Cuckooshrike Coracina longicauda Scientific name definitions

33 cm; 92–101 g. Distinctive, with grey and black plumage, very long tail. Male has head, neck, mantle, upper breast , alula, flight-feathers and tail black, head and neck with dark bluish sheen; rest of plumage soft grey , slightly paler on underparts and darker on underwing-coverts and undertail-coverts; iris dark brown to black; bill and legs black. Female is similar to male, but black on forepart of body restricted to “mask” from forehead to above eye, ear-coverts, malar region, chin and throat. Juvenile undescribed; immature similar to adult female. Races differ only in size: grisea is smaller than nominate.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Tall, dense montane forest , mainly between 2100 m and 2800 m; locally or occasionally as low as 1300 m and as high as 3700 m.

Vocal; common call a loud, descending squeal, “jeer-jeer-jeer”, like that of a parrot (Psittacidae); also has a jangle of notes, harsh , rasping note ending sharply, plaintive trisyllabic “ti-ae-wi”, and short, low-pitched chirp.