| Coleto | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sturnidae |
| Genus: | Sarcops Walden, 1875 |
| Species: | S. calvus |
| Binomial name | |
| Sarcops calvus | |
| Synonyms | |
Gracula calvaLinnaeus, 1766 | |
Thecoleto (Sarcops calvus) is astarlingspecies (family Sturnidae) in themonotypicgenusSarcops. It isendemic to thePhilippines. Its naturalhabitats aretropical dry forest,tropical moist lowland forest, and tropical moistmontane forest. InFilipino andTagalog, this bird is known askuling orkoleto,[2] while in Central Visayas, it is commonly known as thesal-ing.[1]
EBird describes the bird as " A fairly large bird of forest canopy and more open wooded areas from the lowlands to low elevations in the mountains. Often seen on exposed snags. Pale gray from the back of the neck down the back to the rump and the sides. The rest of the underparts and wings are black. Head mostly covered with bare pink skin. Unmistakable. Voice includes a mixture of clicks, squeals, metallic warbling, and piping notes."[3]
In 1760 the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the coleto in hisOrnithologie based on a specimen collected in the Philippines. He used the French nameLe merle chauve des Philippines and the LatinMname "erula Calva Philippensis.[4] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to thebinomial system and are not recogniszd by theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.[5] WI 1766 , when the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus updated hisSystema Naturae for thetwelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson.[5] One of these was the coleto. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined thebinomial nameGracula calva and cited Brisson's work.[6] Thespecific name is from Latincalvus "bald" or "without hair".[7] This species is now the only member of the genusSarcops that was introduced by the English ornithologistArthur Walden in 1875.[8] The name combines theAncient Greek wordssarx, sarkos "flesh" andōps, ōpos "face" or "complexion".[9]
Threesubspecies are recognised:[10]
Feeds on fruit, berries, small insects and nectar. Forages singly, in pairs and occasionally in small groups of up to 25, in fruiting trees. Breeds from March to September. Nests in cavities in dead trees. Clutch size is typically 2 to 3 eggs.[11]
The Coleto was a recently discovered host of the brood parasitic Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) in the Philippines.[12]
This bird's habitat is primary and secondary forest and scrubland up to 1,000 meters above sea level.
IUCN has assessed this bird asleast-concern species as it has a large range and is common throughout. However,deforestation in the Philippines continues throughout the country due to slash and burn farming, mining, illegal logging and habitat conversion. It is widely caught for the pet trade as it has the ability to copy human speech.[13]
Media related toSarcops calvus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toSarcops calvus at Wikispecies
