Rough-crested Malkoha

RAMBUTAN? 😊

Rough-crested Malkoha

UPLB, Laguna | October 2026 Canon EOSR5 x RF800 F11 ISO 10,000 | SS 1/500 | F11 | Handheld

It's a non-parasitic species of cuckoo from the Philippines.

Here's a random full body photo so you can see its full glory.

nieceandtows 2 points 2 days ago

Looks beautiful, and I didn't know non parasitic cuckoos are a thing.

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anon6789 2 points 2 days ago

Me neither. The behavior of the infamous ones seems to overshadow the majority that don't engage in the behavior.

The cuckoo wiki has a surprising amount of great info. There are around 150 species of cuckoo, and only around 56 engage in brood parasitism.

There seems to be some great evolutionary adaptations to allow it. Holding onto eggs in the body longer, early hatching, egg coloration mimicry, and double layer shells. Worth a read if you thought the non-parasitic laying was interesting. The parasitic aspect seems to involve way more than just stopping by a briefly unattended nest!

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