Bornean Ground-Cuckoo (Wildlife Conservation Society Series by Yowie Group)

Review and images by Birdsage; edited by bmathison1972

The Sumatran ground-cuckoo (Carpococcyx viridis) and the Bornean Ground-Cuckoo (C. radiceus) are two closely-related species of terrestrial cuckoos that are endemic to Sumatra and Borneo, respectively. Both species are poorly known and rarely seen. In fact, the Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo has evaded human eyes for much of the 20th century. Deforestation is a threat to both species, but the Sumatran is the more threatened of the two; it is considered to be one of the most endangered birds in the world. The species were thought to be conspecific until 2000; that single species was called the “Sunda Ground-Cuckoo”.

The figure, marketed as a Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo, was released in 2018 by Yowie Group under the Wildlife Conservation Society Series (Series 4) in the US and the World Wildlife Super Series (Series 3) in Australia. Interestingly, the third and fourth US series were combined together into the Super Series, meaning that Australia skipped Series 4.

First and foremost, it should be noted that this is not really a Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo! After looking at photos of both the Sumatran and Bornean Ground-Cuckoos, it occurred to me that this figure was modeled after a particular photo of a Bornean Ground-Cuckoo. Thus, the figure was erroneously marketed.

Being based on a Bornean Ground-Cuckoo, the figure sports green-blue facial skin, a black hood, barred underparts, green and blue wings, and a blue tail. This combination of characteristics is spot-on for the Bornean Ground-Cuckoo. The Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo, on the other hand, has pinkish facial skin, no distinguishable hood, and virtually no blue in its wings or tail.

The morphology of the figure is quite accurate for both species. The figure sports a fairly heavy bill with a hooked tip, a short neck, and a long, full tail.

One thing that is not correct is the arrangement of the toes. A common error is to depict a bird with anisodactyl feet (with three toes pointing forwards and one backwards) when it should have zygodactyl feet (with two toes pointing forwards and two backwards). Cuckoos naturally have zygodactyl feet, so the feet on this figure are inaccurate.

Otherwise, this is quite a good representation of a Bornean Ground-Cuckoo. The real bird is about 60 cm (~23.62”) long, giving this 6 cm (~2.36”) figure a scale of approximately 1:10.

In conclusion, this is definitely a great addition to any collection that includes birds, as long as you don’t mind the incorrect toe arrangement. The series is now retired, but like most Yowies, this figure is readily obtainable at eBay or by trading.