Wildlifeof Thailand
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha
Cuculidae
Photo: Flickr user NatureAtYourBackyard . Photo uploaded to commons by user ltshears · CC BY 2.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Phaenicophaeus sumatranus
Basic stats
Diet
Insects and small vertebrates
Habitat
Lowland forest and mangroves
Range
Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
Size
49cm
The chestnut-bellied malkoha is a large arboreal cuckoo with a green bill, grey head, glossy dark upperparts, rich chestnut belly and long white-tipped tail. It inhabits lowland forest and mangroves in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. Pairs move deliberately through tangled canopy vegetation, taking caterpillars, other insects and small vertebrates, and build their own nest rather than parasitizing other birds (Wikipedia, general species account). It is Nationally Near Threatened (Thailand Red Data 2025).
Quick answers
- What does the Chestnut-bellied Malkoha eat?
- Insects and small vertebrates
- What habitat does the Chestnut-bellied Malkoha live in?
- Lowland forest and mangroves
- Where is the Chestnut-bellied Malkoha found?
- Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
- How big is the Chestnut-bellied Malkoha?
- 49cm