NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rufous Coucal
Centropus unirufus (Cabanis & Heine, 1863)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rufous coucal (Centropus unirufus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.
It is found in Luzon and proximate islands in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest.
It is threatened by habitat loss. Along with the Philippine coucal, Black-faced coucal and the critically endangered Black-hooded coucal, it is one of the 4 endemic coucals in Philippines.
Wikipedia contributors, Rufous coucal; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:30:40.072598+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Centropus unirufus (Cabanis & Heine, 1863)
- Name authority
- (Cabanis & Heine, 1863)
- Common name
- Rufous 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 unirufus (Cabanis & Heine, 1863)
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 |
| Buff-headed CoucalCentropus milo Gould, 1856 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Kai CoucalCentropus spilopterus G. R. Gray, 1858 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pyrrhocentor unirufus Cabanis & Heine, 1863 Cabanis & Heine, 1863 | synonym |
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=554776 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:SB84. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.