Pheasant Cuckoo
Dromococcyx phasianellus
Very retiring and elusive cuckoo of tropical forest, heard far more often than seen. Sings mainly in spring and summer, and at other times appears absent from areas where it may actually be fairly common. Feeds mostly on the ground, walking stealthily, but usually sings from mid-upper levels in trees, when it is most likely to be seen. Oddly shaped, with small head (rusty crest often raised and lowered) and very long, fan-shaped, (‘pheasant-like’) tail.
Identification
The pheasant cuckoo is a large cuckoo with a short crest tipped with rusty brown. The bird's upper parts are dark sooty-brown and the underparts are pale buff with small black streaks on the breast. The feathers of the large tail are of varying lengths, with the central ones being the longest. The call consists of two short whistles, the second being of higher pitch, followed by a trill "whee! whee! wheerr-rr". It can be sung from low, medium, or high perches or from the ground.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Dromococcyx phasianellus
- Authority
- (Spix, 1824)
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Dromococcyx
Range and habitat
The bird's natural habitat is the understorey of tropical lowland evergreen forest, riverine forest, and tropical deciduous forest, from the sea level up to 1600 m. It is found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The breeding season in Mexico appears to be March through August when the males sing. In Oaxaca breeding is from April to June while in Panama calling most frequent from mid-April to July, i.e. from the onset of wet season. There is little information about territorial behaviour. Males respond to singing males with counter-singing or by a strutting display involving head and crest raised, breast feathers puffed out and wings partially extended to show white spots with tail coverts arched. This display can be performed while voicing low grunts and guttural clicks or silently[citation needed].<p>The pheasant cuckoo is one of three New World members of the Cuculidae which is brood parasitic. The precise details of its breeding biology are little known except for a list of known host species including tyrant flycatchers in the genus Myiozetetes, yellow-olive flatbill, eye-ringed flatbill, pied water tyrant and barred antshrike, all of which are sub-oscine passerines. As with other parasitic cuckoos, parental care of eggs and young is provided by the host species.<p>This is an insectivorous species and its food includes grasshoppers, cicadas and beetles; occasionally also small lizards and nestlings. It has a stylized terrestrial foraging behaviour which includes rattling sounds made by vibrating its plumage and bill clapping while the bird stands with body, wing and tail bobbing before lunging forward with several short steps, before pecking in the leaf litter for potential prey.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Blue-throated Piping-Guan
Pipile cumanensis
Large, lanky, black and white bird of lowland rainforest. Note the bare, white face and white wing patches, which really stand out in flight. Crown and nape are also mostly white, but also streaked with buff. It has a fleshy throat patch that is typically blue, but it may be gray or black on some birds. Mostly arboreal, but sometimes descends to the ground to feed or drink. Song, often given at dawn or dusk, is a rising series of clear whistles. Occasionally rattles its wings loudly in flight.
Buff-shouldered Widowbird
Euplectes psammacromius
Breeding males are mostly black with a long tail. There is a large yellow-and-buff patch on the shoulder. Females and non-breeding males are streaky and brown, though males retain their colorful shoulder. Found locally in montane marsh, heath, and grassland. Vocalizations include low rasps and twittering and sizzling calls. Male separated from Marsh Widowbird by its more extensive buff shoulder patch. Female can be confused with several other species, but is usually identified by association with buff-shouldered males.
Geelvink Fruit-Dove
Ptilinopus speciosus
Localized endemic of islands in West Papua’s Geelvink Bay, including Biak and Numfor. Males have a large, bright “fried egg” yellow-and-white patch on the chest and a hot pink patch on the belly. Otherwise mostly green, aside from yellow undertail. Females are green, with yellow on the undertail and belly. Found in lowland rainforest. The song is an accelerating series of two-part “hoo-wooo” notes given in a series, usually of 7-9 notes. Similar to White-breasted Fruit-Dove, but smaller overall and smaller-billed, and males further separated by their distinctive breast pattern.
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