Learn about Red-faced Malkoha

Adult Red-faced Malkohas are black above, glossed with metallic green and blue. The feathers of the crown, nape and chin are flecked with white, the extent of which is subject to marked individual variation. The throat and breast are also black, but the rest of the under-parts are white. When viewed from underneath, as this species usually is, it appears strikingly black and white. The tail is long and graduated and (underneath) appears black at the base and distally white.

The crimson-red face is not bare, but composed of short, bristly hair-like feathers, and in many birds, this protrudes above the crown. The large, laterally compressed bill is apple-green, the lower mandible slightly paler, and is dusky towards the base and around the nostrils. Bold patterning coupled with long tail, red face and green bill makes this species distinctive and extra-ordinarily beautiful.

Most cuckoos are insect-eaters, and whilst the Red-faced Malkoha will snatch insects from the leaves of the canopy, a majority of its diet consists of fruit, especially berries. They move about in the canopy in small groups and form alliances with other species of birds when feeding (mixed species feeding flocks).

It has weak flight and glides more often than flapping, perhaps explaining its preference for remaining at the tops of trees.

The Red-faced Malkoha is a canopy species and prefers the tops of tall trees in thick, undisturbed forest. It occasionally glides to the forest floor, but only in areas of particularly dense undergrowth.

The Red-faced Malkoha is endemic to Sri Lanka, primarily occurring in the low country wet zone in the south-west part of the island and in riparian and wetter tall forests of the dry zone.

A majority of records from the dry zone come from Wasgomuwa, Yala, Udawalawa, Galoya and Lahugala forests.

The main threat to its survival is extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation, particularly in the wet zone, through logging, fuel wood collection, and the growing demand for land for agriculture purposes, gem mining, expanding human habitats and fire. As a primarily canopy-dwelling species, its survival has been particularly badly affected by the degradation of Protected Areas in Sri Lanka.

The Red-faced Malkoha is presently protected under Sri Lankan legislation through the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO). Encouraging protection of Sri Lankan forests and ensuring their effective management can aid in the regrowth of the population. Further research and surveys to assess population numbers can make way for well-informed awareness programmes amongst local communities as well as applicable authorities.