Blue coua
species of bird
The blue coua (Coua caerulea) is a species of bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is endemic to the island of Madagascar.
Taxonomy
This species was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766. There was once twelve species of Coua but only eight or nine are still extant. The genus Coua derives from koa, the Malagasy name for a cuckoo. In French the bird is known as Coua bleu.
Description
The bird's feathers are a deep blue and there is a distinctive blue oval area around the eye which is free of feathers. Like all cuckoos they have large feet, with a reversible third toe. It has a bulky silhouette and short, broad wings and long tail, all of which can be seen when gliding between trees. The average size of the birds is 48 to 50 cm (18.9 to 19.7 in) in length and 30 to 60 grams (1.1 to 2.1 ounces) in weight with the females slightly larger.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 28, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1268135. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1766.
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This entry incorporates text from “Blue coua” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.