Pheasant Coucal
Centropus phasianinus
Very large, primarily ground-based cuckoo. Adults 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. Unlike many cuckoos this species builds its own nest and does not lay eggs in nests of other species. Voice is a familiar repeated ‘whoop,’ and a screeching cat-like hiss.
Identification
The pheasant coucal (Centropus phasianinus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Australia, Timor and New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It has adapted well to canefields in northern Australia. The pheasant coucal is unusual among Australian cuckoos in that it incubates and raises its own young instead of laying its eggs in the nest of another species.
Taxonomy
Genus: Centropus; Family: Cuculidae; Order: Cuculiformes.
- Scientific name
- Centropus phasianinus
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Centropus
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Range-restricted weaver with a powerful dark bill. Male is predominantly yellow with a dark cheek patch. Female is streaky brown above and paler below; lacks the strong streaking and facial patterns of Streaked and Black-breasted Weavers. Female Finn’s is similar to female Baya Weaver, but note the darker coloration, lack of a pale brow stripe, and heavier, sharper-looking bill in female Finn’s. Inhabits open areas with scattered trees; favors wet areas. Colonial nester; males build ball-shaped nests, often in cotton trees.
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