Sunda Cuckoo
Cuculus lepidus
Typical Cuculus cuckoo: most adults are gray with black stripes on a white breast and belly, but some females are “hepatic”; they appear rufous overall with extensive barring. Virtually identical to Himalayan and Oriental cuckoos, which migrate through and winter in Sunda’s range; look for Sunda’s more contrasting darker gray upperparts, wider bars on the underparts, and buffier unmarked vent. Juvenile is dark grayish black above with white edging to the feathers. Like most cuckoos, more often heard than seen; listen for its 2–3 note hooting song, which averages higher than that of Oriental. A species of montane and foothill forest.
Identification
It is 29–30 cm long. The upperparts, throat and upper breast are dark grey. The rest of the underparts are buff with black bars. The tail is blackish with white spots. The female also occurs in a rufous form which has reddish-brown upperparts, paler underparts and black barring both above and below. The Himalayan cuckoo and Oriental cuckoo are similar to the Sunda cuckoo but paler with less buff-coloured underparts and narrower black bars.<p>The song of the Sunda cuckoo usually consists of a short first note followed by two or three longer and lower "hoop" notes. The whole song is higher-pitched than that of the Himalayan cuckoo which gives three or four "hoop" notes.
Taxonomy
It was first described as a species in 1845 by the German naturalist Salomon Müller. In 1940 it was included in the lesser cuckoo (C. poliocephalus) by James Lee Peters in his Check-list of the Birds of the World. In 1975 J. H. Becking concluded that it was a form of C. saturatus based on similarities in the voice, the colour and ultra-structure of the eggshell and selection of a host to rear the young. Ben King proposed in 2005 that it should be regarded as a distinct species based on differences in size and plumage and a new study of the voice.<p>Two subspecies are often recognised. C. l. lepidus is the form found in most of the bird's range. The subspecies C. l. insulindae occurs in Borneo and can be distinguished by its darker underparts.
- Scientific name
- Cuculus lepidus
- Authority
- Müller, S, 1845
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Cuculus
Range and habitat
Its range covers the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Seram and the Lesser Sunda Islands east to Timor. It is non-migratory unlike the Himalayan and Oriental cuckoos which overlap in range with it during the northern winter. It occurs in forests, mainly in mountainous areas. It is found at altitudes of 950–1700 m in the Malay Peninsula, 1300–2700 m in Borneo and above 1000 m in Java, Sumatra and Wallacea. It is believed to be slowly declining in numbers but still has a sizable range and population so its status is classed as Least Concern by BirdLife International.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
It feeds mainly on insects, particularly caterpillars, and will also eat fruit. It is a secretive bird which is hard to find except when calling.<p>It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other birds. It has been recorded using the nests of the chestnut-crowned warbler in the Malay Peninsula, mountain leaf warbler and yellow-breasted warbler in Sabah and mountain leaf warbler, Sunda warbler and Sunda bush warbler in Java. The eggs are whitish with brown spots.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Scaly Babbler
Turdoides squamulata
A very dark babbler with pale scaling on the crown, throat, and breast and a yellow-orange eye. In the southern part of the range has a blackish ear patch, while in the north, can show a brown ear patch and a white chin, or else a completely white face. Found locally in coastal scrub, riparian thickets, and woodland with thick undergrowth. Almost always in small groups, which feed by hopping across the ground. More elusive and skulking than most babblers. Northern subspecies can be similar to White-rumped Babbler, but easily separated by the lack of a white rump. Usually located by the raspy babbling call, usually given by a whole group in chorus.
Pilotbird
Pycnoptilus floccosus
Small, chunky bird with a cocked tail, found in wet forested areas and heathland in eastern Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. Dark chocolate brown plumage, with faintly mottled chest and rufous-tinted throat and rump. Forages on the ground, turning over leaf litter using strong legs. Call is loud and clear, easily remembered as a whistled "guinea-a-week."
Handsome Spurfowl
Pternistis nobilis
Large, chunky brown francolin with a red bill and bare red skin around the eye. Found in montane forest, forest edge, and bamboo. Often in pairs. Reclusive, but will emerge onto roads and paths, especially early and late in the day. The call alternates lower “kroo” notes with higher “kreek” notes. Also gives simpler raspy single notes and series. Similar to Scaly Francolin, but larger and richer brown, with red bare skin around the eye.
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