Cool Things You Need To Know

• The Crested Coua is a member of the cuckoo bird family and can only be found in the savanna and brushland areas of Madagascar
• Luckily this bird species is common and widespread throughout their range and as such they are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List – It is always nice to have good news once in awhile
• The chicks of the Crested Coua, along with other Coua species, get a lot of attention as a result of the unique markings on the inside of their mouth (the markings resemble a bullseye)

Hiding in the Shadows

The Crested Coua is one sharp looking bird. I mean with the bright blue skin around their eyes and their large crest of feathers (hence the name), these birds are beautiful and stand out in a crowd. Actually, come to think of these birds are pretty difficult to spot in the wild. Why? Because the colouration of the Crested Coua allows them to blend in perfectly amongst the shadows of the Madagascar forest. This sneaky camouflage allows them to easily snatch up chameleons, snails, insects and of course seeds and fruit (okay, maybe they don’t need camouflage to sneak up on a piece of fruit).

One Heck of a Grip

Unlike other birds the Crested Coua is surprisingly a weak flier. I know, it seems weird that such a small bird is such a poor flier but I promise it is true. Luckily what these birds lack in flying they make up for in walking. Sure, these birds don’t fly long distances but they use their tail for balance while walking along small branches, high in the trees. To make branch walking even easier, they have the ability to reverse their third toe giving them a vulcan death grip. This makes it practically impossible to to push these birds off their favourite branch.

Right On Target

Speaking of branches, the female Crested Coua will usually build a small nest out of shrubs so they can lay their two precious eggs. Once the eggs hatch, both parents will be responsible for raising and feeding the young chicks. Luckily the “Bullseye” markings inside of the chicks mouth makes feeding incredibly easy. And let’s be honest with ourselves, this target is most likely there so the males don’t end up  making a mess in the nest.