Coeli [1] ( lat. Eudynamys ) is a genus of birds of the cuckoo family , common in Asia , Australia and the Pacific Islands . These are rather large members of the family with well developed sexual dimorphism . One of the distinguishing features of the group is the jagged edges of the beak, which indicates the nature of their food. Koeli specialize in vegetable feed, which stand out among all but the giant cuckoo , species of the cuckoo family [2] .
| Coeli |
Coel male |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Eudynamys Vigors & Horsfield , 1827 |
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Systematics of the genus at the moment - the subject of scientific disputes. Some authors call the genus monotypic, including only Eudynamys scolopaceus [3] . According to their point of view, the forms melanorhynchus and orientalis are subspecies of this species, the form taitensis is distinguished into a separate genus Urodynamis ( long-tailed koel ). In other publications, two types are indicated - Eudynamys scolopaceus and Eudynamys taitensis [4] [5] . Finally, a third point of view supported by the International Union of Ornithologists is of three kinds, Eudynamys scolopaceus , Eudynamys melanorhynchus and Eudynamys orientalis ; the form of taitensis is also, as in the first case, taken out of the brackets [6] .
A nucleotide sequence analysis conducted in 1999 by a group of specialists from the University of Minnesota [7] , as well as a study of behavioral and environmental characteristics by Canadian ornithologist Janice Hughes [8], showed that the monotype gigantic cuckoo was the sister taxon to coel. It should be noted that these authors considered the long-tailed coel as one of the types of coelles [9] . The ornithologists Michael Sorenson and Robert Payne, who continue to consider the genus as monotypical, disagree with the conclusions of this group. They believe that the coel is part of the basal group, which also includes the black-headed ( Microdynamis parva ) and the fat-billed ( Pachycoccyx audeberti ) cuckoos [10] .
List of species according to the International Union of Ornithologists [6] :
- Eudynamys scolopaceus - Coel
- Eudynamys melanorhynchus - Black-billed Koel [11]
- Eudynamys orientalis - Pacific Koel [12]