Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo (Neomorphus geoffroyi)
Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo

Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo

Neomorphus geoffroyi

The Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, known scientifically as Neomorphus geoffroyi, is a striking bird with a length of 45 to 51 cm, half of which is accounted for by its tail. It has a robust weight of 300 to 400 grams. This species is adorned with a heavy, decurved bill, a shaggy, glossy blue-black crest, and bright blue skin encircling the eye. The vent area is a distinctive rufous color, adding to its unique appearance.

Identification Tips

To identify this bird, look for its pale grayish green to horn-colored bill with a yellow tip, and its erectile crest. The sexes are similar in plumage, with adults displaying a cinnamon brown forehead, crown, and lower face, bronzy olive green upperparts and wings, and a glossy purple tail. The underparts are pale buff, with a black band across the chest and heavy paler semicircles that create a scaled effect.

Habitat

The Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo favors mature, undisturbed evergreen forests. It can also be found in riverside and seasonally flooded forests, as well as in dry forests, canebrakes, and thickets. Its elevation range varies from sea level to 1,450 m in Central America and up to 1,650 m in South America.

Distribution

This species is distributed across several countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. Its range is wide but fragmented.

Behaviour

The Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo is a year-round resident in its range, predominantly terrestrial in nature. It is known for walking or running on the forest floor and can make powerful leaps to catch prey. It may take flight to escape predators, flying low or into trees.

Song & Calls

The principal vocalization of this bird is a low, drawn-out, moaning coo, which can be heard as "ooooooooooooooooop". Near army ant swarms, it emits a muffled, barking "woof" call and a sharp, loud "kchak!" call, likely to deter other birds from its prey.

Breeding

Breeding seasons vary with location, occurring in the northern summer in Central America and the austral summer in South America. The nest is a sturdy structure of sticks with a flatish cup of dry grass and fresh leaves, typically placed in a tree or shrub fork. Usually, a single egg is laid, with both parents believed to participate in incubation. The fledging period is estimated to be similar to the 20-day period of other Neomorphus cuckoos.

Similar Species

There are no similar species mentioned in the provided content.

Diet and Feeding

The diet consists mainly of insects, other arthropods, small vertebrates like lizards, amphibians, and small birds, and occasionally fallen fruits. This cuckoo often follows army ant swarms, peccaries, and monkey troops to catch prey fleeing from them.

Conservation Status

The IUCN has classified the Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo as Vulnerable. The population is estimated to be between 63,000 and 127,000 mature individuals and is believed to be in decline. The species is threatened primarily by habitat fragmentation, as it requires large, undisturbed forests and is often one of the first species to disappear when habitat is fragmented.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoos on Birda

Sightings
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Diego Ramírez-Calvo
Diego Ramírez-Calvo
10 Feb 2021 - 8:45pm
Costa Rica

More Cuckoos

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
Alice J
Awesome Birding Community
I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
Nicole
Gets me outdoors more
I'm still loving this app. I use it most days & gets me outdoors more. Enjoying watching others progress and photo's, it's improved my wellbeing.... I love this app! I can keep a record of sightings and see what others have seen too.
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.