NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Buff-headed Coucal
Centropus milo Gould, 1856
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Centropus milo The birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan islands London :Henry Sotheran & Co.,1875-1888. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53911754 The announcement to release the files with a free license can be found for example at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/over-150000-illustrations-wildlife-are-available-online-free-180974167/
John Gould · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The buff-headed coucal (Centropus milo) is a species of coucal. These are often placed in the cuckoo family (Cuculidae) but seem to warrant recognition as a distinct family. C. milo is a common endemic of the central islands of the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland and mountain forests, mostly in primary and secondary growth. This species is a large cuckoo with a heavy bill and short wings. In total length, this species may measure 60 to 69 cm (24 to 27 in). With a body mass of 769 g (1.695 lb), this may be not only the largest coucal, apparently outweighing other very large coucals like the goliath coucal, but possibly the largest of all cuckoos, with a slightly higher cited weight than even the channel-billed cuckoo, usually considered the world's largest cuckoo. The plumage of adults is striking with a buff head, upper back and undersides, and glossy black wings, lower back and tail. The iris is red and legs and bill are dark grey.
Wikipedia contributors, Buff-headed coucal; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:05:39.866038+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Centropus milo Gould, 1856
- Name authority
- Gould, 1856
- Common name
- Buff-headed Coucal
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Centropus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCuculiformes
- familyCuculidae
- genusCentropus Illiger, 1811
- speciesCentropus milo Gould, 1856
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Centropus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Short-toed CoucalCentropus rectunguis Strickland, 1847 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser CoucalCentropus bengalensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Burchell's CoucalCentropus burchellii Swainson, 1838 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pied CoucalCentropus ateralbus R. Lesson, 1826 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-billed CoucalCentropus bernsteini Schlegel, 1866 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bay CoucalCentropus celebensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Green-billed CoucalCentropus chlororhynchos Blyth, 1849 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Coppery-tailed CoucalCentropus cupreicaudus Reichenow, 1896 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Goliath CoucalCentropus goliath Bonaparte, 1850 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-throated CoucalCentropus leucogaster (Leach, 1814) | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kai CoucalCentropus spilopterus G. R. Gray, 1858 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-hooded CoucalCentropus steerii Bourns & Worcester, 1894 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554747 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:SB7P. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.