Animalia > Chordata > Aves > Eurypygiformes > Rhynochetidae > Rhynochetos > Rhynochetos jubatus

Rhynochetos jubatus (Kagu)

Wikipedia Abstract

The kagu or cagou (Rhynochetos jubatus) is a crested, long-legged, and bluish-grey bird endemic to the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. It is the only surviving member of the genus Rhynochetos and the family Rhynochetidae, although a second species has been described from the fossil record. Measuring 55 cm (22 in) in length, it has pale grey plumage and bright red legs. Its 'nasal corns' are a unique feature not shared with any other bird. Almost flightless, it spends its time on or near the ground, where it hunts its invertebrate prey, and builds a nest of sticks on the forest floor. Both parents share incubation of a single egg, as well as rearing the chick. It has proven vulnerable to introduced predators, and is threatened with extinction.
View Wikipedia Record: Rhynochetos jubatus

Endangered Species

Status: Endangered
View IUCN Record: Rhynochetos jubatus

EDGE Analysis

Uniqueness Scale: Similiar (0) 
28
 Unique (100)
Uniqueness & Vulnerability Scale: Similiar & Secure (0) 
83
 Unique & Vulnerable (100)
ED Score: 55.3819
EDGE Score: 6.11159
View EDGE Record: Rhynochetos jubatus

Attributes

Adult Weight [1]  1.742 lbs (790 g)
Birth Weight [2]  50 grams
Female Weight [1]  1.543 lbs (700 g)
Male Weight [1]  1.94 lbs (880 g)
Weight Dimorphism [1]  25.7 %
Diet [3]  Carnivore (Invertebrates), Carnivore (Vertebrates)
Diet - Ectothermic [3]  30 %
Diet - Invertibrates [3]  40 %
Diet - Scavenger [3]  30 %
Forages - Ground [3]  100 %
Female Maturity [1]  1 year 12 months
Clutch Size [2]  1
Incubation [2]  35 days
Maximum Longevity [2]  31 years
Wing Span [2]  34 inches (.86 m)

Ecoregions

Name Countries Ecozone Biome Species Report Climate Land
Use
New Caledonia rain forests France Australasia Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests

Important Bird Areas

Biodiversity Hotspots

Name Location Endemic Species Website
New Caledonia New Caledonia Yes

Emblem of

New Caledonia

Consumers

Parasitized by 
Cagourakis dorsalata[4]

External References

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
1Nathan P. Myhrvold, Elita Baldridge, Benjamin Chan, Dhileep Sivam, Daniel L. Freeman, and S. K. Morgan Ernest. 2015. An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96:3109
2del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
3Hamish Wilman, Jonathan Belmaker, Jennifer Simpson, Carolina de la Rosa, Marcelo M. Rivadeneira, and Walter Jetz. 2014. EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95:2027
4Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London
Ecoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 Wildfinder Database
Biodiversity Hotspots provided by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0