the parent to feed the juvenile. They leave the nest after about nine days, when still covered with down and unable to fly. They then perch on the ground or among the undergrowth awaiting visits by the adults, which feed them caterpillars and crickets. This early fledging may be because of the danger of nest predation by such predators as the narrow-striped mongoose, the small Indian civet and the common brown lemur, snakes such as the Malagasy giant hognose, and birds such as the Madagascar harrier-hawk, the cuckoo roller and the Malagasy coucal. Status Although Coquerel's coua has a limited range in western Madagascar and the population appears to be decreasing, this is a slow trend and the bird is plentiful within its range. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern. References Coua Endemic birds of Madagascar Taxa named by Alfred Grandidier Birds described in 1867 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Madagascar dry deciduous forests