Pavonine Cuckoo
Dromococcyx pavoninus
Bizarre looking cuckoo; small-headed with a very long, graduated tail. The head, neck and breast are rufous, but note the prominent rufous eyebrow. The white belly contrasts with the dark brown back, wings and tail, the latter with white tips. Found in lowland rainforest, forest edge, and second growth. Usually fiendishly hard to see. A brood parasite. The voice is a melodic, “puu-pe-pu-pepe” repeated endlessly day or night.
Identification
The head and crest of this bird is rusty brown and the remaining plumage is mainly dark brown above and paler below, with a rich buff coloured supercilium, throat and breast. It is similar in appearance to the pheasant cuckoo but has a slightly different call and is larger overall. Additionally, the buff supercilium, throat and breast of the pheasant cuckoo is paler than in the pavonine cuckoo and the throat and breast of the pheasant cuckoo are heavily marked while those areas of the pavonine cuckoo have no dark spots or streaks.
Taxonomy
Genus: Dromococcyx; Family: Cuculidae; Order: Cuculiformes.
- Scientific name
- Dromococcyx pavoninus
- Authority
- Pelzeln, 1870
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Dromococcyx
Range and habitat
The pavonine cuckoo inhabits the understorey of subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests in South America, where it is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. It has a wide range but a patchy distribution, being absent from some areas where it might have been expected to be present.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sulphur-breasted Myzomela
Myzomela jugularis
A beautiful, intricately marked myzomela with a red cap (lacking in female) and throat, a black face, forehead, and back, a yellow chest, black wings with white spots and large olive patches, and grayish-white underparts. Rump vivid red. Undertail black with a white tip. Common in all habitats. Voice is a constant chattering of “chit-chit” and “sweet-sweet” calls.
MacGillivray's Prion
Pachyptila macgillivrayi
A pale powder-blue-and-white seabird with a faint grayish dark “M” across the upperwings. Note the dark blue “thumb mark” collar, the blue eye-stripe, the white eyebrow, the white throat, and the grayish cap. Restricted to two known breeding islands, Saint Paul in the South Indian Ocean, and Gough in the South Atlantic. Almost identical to Antarctic Prion, but bulkier and more heavy-chested, with a slightly wider bill. All but inseparable from Salvin’s Prion, with which it shares the breeding island of Gough, and with which it was once considered one species; MacGillivray’s is incrementally broader-billed, but birds seen at sea may not be identifiable.
Green-backed Trogon
Trogon viridis
Often first detected by its song: a melodic series of “kua kua kua kua” notes, similar to Surucua Trogon, but faster. Perches quietly in an upright position for long periods. Males have a green back, a bluish head and breast, a yellow belly. The underside of the tail is white with dark centers. Females have a gray-brown head and breast. Their tail is similar to the male’s but also has gray horizontal bars. Found in the upper to middle levels of humid forests, at forest edges, and in lighter woodlands and second growth.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.