Rhinortha chlorophaea
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Raffles's malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea) is a species of cuckoo (family Cuculidae). It was formerly often placed in Phaenicophaeus with the other malkohas, but it appears to not be very closely related to the true malkohas. It exhibits several autapomorphies and sexual dimorphism (which its presumed relatives all lack).
It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand. It was once found in Singapore but is now considered extirpated. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Its diet consists of insects, including caterpillars, cicadas, crickets, beetles, and locusts.
During courtship, the male Raffles's malkoha has been observed to stand on the base of the female's outstretched wings and hold a frog in its bill. It is unclear whether the frog is a gift to the female or whether the male keeps it afterward. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Raffles's Malkoha sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 1,221 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 242 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Raffles's Malkoha in Sepilok on a given day, against about 30% in September, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Raffles's Malkoha sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
4th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Raffles's Malkoha sightings, Sepilok ranks 4th at about 40%. The best odds are in Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 50%), Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 50%) and Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Cuculidae
The closest relatives of the Raffles's Malkoha that you can see in Sepilok (family Cuculidae, Cuckoos) are Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (about 30%), Greater Coucal (about 20%) and Violet Cuckoo (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Raffles's Malkoha is recorded against all the birds logged in Sepilok (1,221 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
