Cuckoo-shrike is the name of a family of about 70 species of songbirds. Cuckoo-shrikes live in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. They are not related to either shrikes or cuckoos. But they have notched bills like those of shrikes, and some have barred feathers like those of many cuckoos.
Cuckoo-shrikes range from 51/2 to 121/2 inches (14 to 32 centimeters) in length. The birds have a thick cluster of stiff feathers on their rumps. These feathers fall out easily and so help protect cuckoo-shrikes from hawks and other birds that prey on them. A hawk that strikes a cuckoo-shrike on the rump may catch only a mass of feathers instead of the bird itself.
Most cuckoo-shrikes have long wings and tails. The majority of species are varying shades of gray or black, and white. However, some African cuckoo-shrikes have bright areas of yellow, orange, or red. Males of most kinds of minivets—a group of cuckoo-shrike species found in Asia—are black and bright red or orange.
Most cuckoo-shrikes live in tropical woodlands. They eat caterpillars, other insects, and fruit. Flocks of cuckoo-shrikes continually fly from one tree to another in search of food. However, the ground cuckoo-shrike, which lives in the dry interior of Australia, searches for food on the ground.
Cuckoo-shrikes build cup-shaped nests in trees, and, in most cases, lay from two to three eggs. The eggs of most species are greenish, with brown, gray, or violet spots or blotches.
