Pallid Cuckoo
Heteroscenes pallidus
Large pale cuckoo, which lacks the warmer tones of both Fan-tailed and Brush cuckoos. Yellow eyering, and a dark indistinct stripe across the cheek. Has a distinctive call that has several notes, and tends to perch in prominent places or fence-posts while calling.
Identification
Characteristics of the appearance of the pallid cuckoo include: a dark bill, a dark eye with a gold eye-ring, a shadowy dark mark from the eye down the neck, a white (or buff) mark on the nape, olive grey feet and prominent white (or buff) toothing along the tail. In flight, there are conspicuous white and dark bars across the long tail. Its silhouette resembles a falcon and often triggers alarm calls from passerines. The pallid cuckoo can have various morphs including light rufous morph or dark rufous morph. <p>In adult males the upperparts including head and neck are grey-brown and have large spots on wing-coverts. In adult females the light-rufous morph is similar to the adult male however with the dark rufous morph the hind neck patch extends onto mantle and it has barring on the chest.<p>A distinguishing feature of the family Cuculidae are the feet, which are zygodactyl, meaning that the two inner toes point forward and the two outer point backward.[citation needed]
Taxonomy
English ornithologist John Latham described the pallid cuckoo in 1801 as Columba pallida "pale pigeon".<p>Sources differ in the genera placement of this species. It is commonly placed in Cuculus, but genetic evidence and its song support its placement in Cacomantis, with its closest relative the white-crowned cuckoo (Cacomantis leucolophus).<p>"Pallid cuckoo" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). Other common names include unadorned cuckoo, semitone-bird, scale-bird, and brain-fever bird—from its monotonous repetitive call.
- Scientific name
- Heteroscenes pallidus
- Authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Heteroscenes
Range and habitat
The pallid cuckoo is widely distributed throughout mainland Australia and Tasmania. It spends the winter months in central inland Australia and the Northern Territory. The cuckoo then migrates to South East Australia's coastal region and Tasmania, arriving generally around September or October, sometimes earlier. It has also been observed that migration occasionally occurs to the islands of Timor and Papua New Guinea in the winter months. It is a rare vagrant to New Zealand.<p>The pallid cuckoo has been observed in various different habitats such as in woodland, shrubland, mangrove forest, pastoral country, farmland, golf courses and gardens. However it prefers lightly timbered country with trees and shrubs and a sparse under-story where it can best hunt for prey.
- Breeding range
- AU : Australia and Tasmania
- Non-breeding range
- to c, e Lesser Sundas
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Brownish Twistwing
Cnipodectes subbrunneus
A medium-sized flycatcher that sticks to the understory in lowland and foothill forest from Panama to the Amazon basin of Brazil and Peru. Brown above and pale whitish-yellow below. Overall rather nondescript, but look for brighter rusty edging on the wing feathers and tail and a pale brownish eye. Regularly raises wings up while perched. Namesake twisted outer primaries are difficult to see. Most easily identified by voice, a loud, fairly low-pitched “teew!”
Ring-necked Francolin
Scleroptila streptophora
Medium-sized, elaborately patterned francolin. There is a striped head, a rufous nape, a white throat, and a band of black-and-white stripes around the neck. Shows at most a hint of rufous in the wings in flight. Found on the ground in grassy, open woodland. Shy, poorly known, and highly localized species. Distinctive call is a mournful series of several hollow notes that first go up, then descend. Somewhat similar to Coqui Francolin, but larger, with a different pattern below: mostly plain with a few bold streaks on the sides of the belly. Also similar to Red-winged Francolin, but has a cleaner white throat, lacks large red patches in the wings, and has a different pattern on the underparts.
Chestnut-flanked White-eye
Zosterops erythropleurus
The most migratory of the Asian white-eyes, this minute bird breeds in the boreal woodlands of far northeastern China and Russia and winters in southern China and northern Southeast Asia. Frequently migrates in immense flocks and can often be seen in gatherings of thousands on headlands and islands. Bright yellow-green upper body, white underparts, and striking white eye ring give this species the general white-eye look, but the broad brush-stroke of rufous on the flanks distinguishes it from similar species. Vocalizations consist largely of high, sweet, rising “sweee”s.
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