Berthe’s Coua (Coua berthae)

This species is known from subfossil remains dating to an Holocene age and was described in 1993.

Berthe’s Coua was the largest member of its genus, it may have reached a size of about 80 cm, making it 25% larger than the recent Giant Coua (Coua gigas (Boddaert)) (see photo), which is the largest living member of its genus today.

The species was very likely a bad flyer and may indeed have largely been restricted tot he forest floor, where it was an easy victim to early human hunters.

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References:

[1] Steven M. Goodman;  Florent Ravoavy: Identification of bird subfossils from cave surface deposits at Anjohibe, Madagascar, with a description of a new giant Coua (Cuculidae: Couinae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 106(1): 24-33. 1993

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edited: 27.11.2018