Blackish cuckooshrike

Blackish cuckooshrike
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Campephagidae
Genus:	Edolisoma
Species:	E. coerulescens
Binomial name
Edolisoma coerulescens (Blyth, 1842)
Synonyms
Coracina coerulescens Analisoma coerulescens

The blackish cuckooshrike (Edolisoma coerulescens) or the blackish cicadabird or Luzon graybird, is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is endemic to the Philippines on the islands of Luzon, Catanduanes, Marinduque and Cebu where it is presumed extinct. Some taxonomists place this species in the genus Analisoma.Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest where it is believed to be declining due to habitat loss.

Description

A specimen from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Ebird describes this as "A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest. Slender, with a medium-length bill and tail. The male is entirely black with some blue gloss on the back and crown. Female is slaty-gray with a blackish face and tail. Female is similar to Black-bibbed Cuckooshrike, but larger and more uniformly dark gray in color. The black male differs from other black birds like Philippine Fairy-Bluebird and Asian Glossy-Starling by its dark rather than red eye. Song is a forceful, descending whistle, “tiiuuuu!”

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized:

• E. c. coerulescens — Found on Luzon and Catanduanes
• E. c. deschauenseei — Found on Marinduque; slightly less purple
• E. c. altera †— Found on Cebu; now extinct

Ecology and behavior

Its diet has not yet been recorded but it is presumed to feed on insects. Occurs singly, in small groups or with mixed-species flocks of other medium sized birds like Bar-bellied cuckooshrike, Black-naped oriole and Black-bibbed cicadabird. Typically forages in the canopy.

There is no information about its breeding habits and nesting aside from a female collected in March contained an egg.

Habitat and conservation status

Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest up to 1,000 m where it forages in the canopy and upperstorey in mixed-sepcies flocks.

The IUCN Redlist has classified this species as least-concern but is declining habitat loss due to deforestation for lumber, mining and farmlands. There are no known targeted conservation actions for this bird, but it will indirectly benefit from the conservation of other North Luzon species like the Critically Endangered Isabela oriole.

It occurs in protected areas like Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park, Bataan National Park, Aurora Memorial National Park, Quezon Protected Landscape but actual protection from deforestation and hunting are lax.