A recent split from the Brush Cuckoo complex; its repetitive descending whistle call is a familiar sound of northern and eastern forests.
Not listed
At a glance
FamilyCuckoos
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
HabitatIn Australia, it is known to inhabit a range of environments including rainforests , rainforest edges, mangrove forests, secondary forests , and plantations.
Best timeMost reliable in Queensland from November to January.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Richard E. Webster
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
65951approx records
5states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Gray eyering and heavily barred tail. Lack of a yellow eyering separates it from Fan-tailed Cuckoo, with which it overlaps in Australia and New Guinea.
Behavior
Calls frequently with an exhaustive series of separate whistles that fall in pitch and speed.
Gallery
Regional timing
New South Wales
Queensland
Victoria
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Australian Capital Territory
Tasmania
South Australia
Commonly confused with
Pallid CuckooHeteroscenes pallidusYellow eyering, and a dark indistinct stripe across the cheek.→Fan-tailed CuckooCacomantis flabelliformisBright yellow eyering and heavily barred tail. Take care to identify from Brush Cuckoo (which has a gray eyering), and from Pallid Cuckoo (which is paler and lacks the warm breast tones).→Pheasant CoucalCentropus phasianinusAdults are streaked rusty brown in nonbreeding plumage. In breeding plumage the head and front are black. They can fly, but are more typically seen running/flapping across roads, or clumsily crashing into dense vegetation.→