The red-faced malkoha is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This malkoha species is endemic to Sri Lanka
Region
Sri Lanka
Typical Environment
Confined to the lowland and foothill rainforests of Sri Lanka’s wet zone, especially in mature evergreen forest. It favors dense tangles, vine-rich edges, and tall secondary growth adjacent to primary forest. The species is most often encountered along forest tracks and stream margins where cover is thick. It generally avoids heavily degraded habitats and open plantations but may use shaded forest edges.
Altitude Range
0–1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The red-faced malkoha is a long-tailed cuckoo that creeps through dense foliage rather than making long flights. Its striking bare red facial skin is a key field mark in Sri Lanka’s wet-zone forests. It forages methodically along vines and tangles for large insects, occasionally taking small vertebrates and fruits. Habitat loss in lowland rainforests is its primary threat.
Colour plate from A History of the Birds of Ceylon, Volume 1 by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1878
Red Faced Malkoha Location - Sinharaja Rain Forest
Temperament
shy and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides; prefers to clamber through foliage
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family parties. Often associates loosely with mixed-species flocks in the mid-story. Nest is a shallow platform hidden in dense vegetation; both parents share incubation and care of 2–3 chicks.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are a series of low, guttural clucks and croaks, including repeated 'kraaa' and 'pok-pok' notes. Calls carry through the forest understory but are less musical than many passerines.
Plumage
Long-tailed cuckoo with dark olive-green upperparts and slate-grey underparts; wings can show a slightly rufous-brown cast. Tail is long and graduated with bold white tips. Bare facial skin is conspicuously red.
Diet
Feeds mainly on large insects such as caterpillars, mantises, stick insects, grasshoppers, and beetles. Will also take spiders and small vertebrates like geckos or tree frogs on occasion. Fruits and berries are eaten opportunistically, especially when insect prey is less abundant. Foraging is deliberate, gleaning from leaves and probing tangles.
Preferred Environment
Typically feeds in dense vine tangles, mid-story foliage, and along shaded forest edges. Frequently forages along forest roads and stream margins where insects are concentrated but cover remains thick.
