Cuculidae – Cuckoos
The Cuculidae or cuckoos are a family of birds, which are the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes. The family includes cuckoos, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis were formerly separated as distinct families, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae respectively.
The cuckoos are generally medium-sized slender birds. The majority are arboreal, with a sizeable minority that are terrestrial. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority of species being tropical. Some species are migratory. The cuckoos feed on insects, insect larvae and a variety of other animals, as well as fruit. Many species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species, but the majority of species raise their own young.
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Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius |
Lesser Ground Cuckoo Morococcyx erythropygus |
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All Photographs in this introduction courtesy of ©Dubi Shapiro |
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The anis are the three species of birds in the genus Crotophaga of the cuckoo family. They are essentially tropical New World birds as are the Roadrunners.
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Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani |
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis |
Old-world, mostly tropical species include the Drong-cuckoos, Coucals and Koels, with the Malkohas essentially Asiatic.
Raffles’s Malkoha Rhinortha chlorophaea
The Couas are all confined to Madagascar.
Red-capped Coua Coua ruficeps
Cuckoos have played a role in human culture for thousands of years, appearing in Greek mythology as sacred to the goddess Hera. In Europe, the Common Cuckoo is associated with spring, and with cuckoldry, for example in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labours Lost.
Dwarf Koel Microdynamis parva
In India, cuckoos are sacred to Kamadeva, the god of desire and longing, whereas in Japan, the cuckoo symbolises unrequited love.
Bornean Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx radiceus
About 56 of the Old-World species and 3 of the New-World species (Pheasant, Pavonine, and Striped) are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds. These species are obligate brood parasites, meaning that they only reproduce in this fashion. The best-known example is the European Common Cuckoo. In addition to the above noted species, yet others sometimes engage in non-obligate brood parasitism, laying their eggs in the nests of members of their own species in addition to raising their own young.
Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris
African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus
The shells of the eggs of brood-parasites are usually thick. They have two distinct layers with an outer chalky layer that is believed to provide resistance to cracking when the eggs are dropped in the host nest. The cuckoo egg hatches earlier than the host’s, and the cuckoo chick grows faster; in most cases the chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species. The chick has no time to learn this behaviour, so it must be an instinct passed on genetically. The chick encourages the host to keep pace with its high growth rate with its rapid begging call and the chick’s open mouth which serves as a sign stimulus.
Guira Cuckoo Guira guira
Cuckoos have various strategies for getting their egg into a host nest. Different species use different strategies based on host defensive strategies. Female cuckoos have secretive and fast laying behaviours, but in some cases, males have been shown to lure host adults away from their nests so that the female can lay her egg in the nest.
White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus
Some host species may directly try to prevent cuckoos laying eggs in their nest in the first place – birds whose nests are at high risk of cuckoo-contamination are known to ‘mob’ cuckoos to drive them out of the area. Parasitic cuckoos are grouped into gentes, with each gens specialising in a particular host. There is some evidence that the gentes are genetically different from one another.
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Number of bird species: 154
(As at September 2025)
The newly (2025) amalgamated AviList considers there to be 154 species of Couas, Cuckoos, Koels, Anis, Coucals and Malkohas in thirty-five genera within the family Cuculidae, the sole family in the Cuculiformes order. They are:
Guira Cuckoo Guira guira
Greater Ani Crotophaga major
Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani
Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
Striped Cuckoo Tapera naevia
Pheasant Cuckoo Dromococcyx phasianellus
Pavonine Cuckoo Dromococcyx pavoninus
Lesser Ground Cuckoo Morococcyx erythropygus
Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
Lesser Roadrunner Geococcyx velox
Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo Neomorphus geoffroyi
Scaled Ground Cuckoo Neomorphus squamiger
Banded Ground Cuckoo Neomorphus radiolosus
Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo Neomorphus rufipennis
Red-billed Ground Cuckoo Neomorphus pucheranii
Sumatran Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx viridis
Bornean Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx radiceus
Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx renauldi
Crested Coua Coua cristata
Verreaux’s Coua Coua verreauxi
Blue Coua Coua caerulea
Red-capped Coua Coua ruficeps
Olive-capped Coua Coua olivaceiceps
Red-fronted Coua Coua reynaudii
Coquerel’s Coua Coua coquereli
Running Coua Coua cursor
Giant Coua Coua gigas
Red-breasted Coua Coua serriana
Buff-headed Coucal Centropus milo
White-necked Coucal Centropus ateralbus
Biak Coucal Centropus chalybeus
Ivory-billed Coucal Centropus menbeki
Rufous Coucal Centropus unirufus
Green-billed Coucal Centropus chlororhynchos
Black-faced Coucal Centropus melanops
Short-toed Coucal Centropus rectunguis
Black-hooded Coucal Centropus steerii
Bay Coucal Centropus celebensis
Gabon Coucal Centropus anselli
Black-throated Coucal Centropus leucogaster
Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis
Blue-headed Coucal Centropus monachus
Coppery-tailed Coucal Centropus cupreicaudus
White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus
Burchell’s Coucal Centropus burchellii
Sunda Coucal Centropus nigrorufus
Andaman Coucal Centropus andamanensis
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
Goliath Coucal Centropus goliath
Malagasy Coucal Centropus toulou
Black Coucal Centropus grillii
Philippine Coucal Centropus viridis
Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis
Violaceous Coucal Centropus violaceus
Black-billed Coucal Centropus bernsteini
Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus
Raffles’s Malkoha Rhinortha chlorophaea
Green Malkoha Ceuthmochares australis
Blue Malkoha Ceuthmochares aereus
Sirkeer Malkoha Taccocua leschenaultii
Red-billed Malkoha Zanclostomus javanicus
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha Phaenicophaeus curvirostris
Mentawai Malkoha Phaenicophaeus oeneicaudus
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus sumatranus
Red-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus
Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
Black-bellied Malkoha Phaenicophaeus diardi
Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis
Yellow-billed Malkoha Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus
Scale-feathered Malkoha Dasylophus cumingi
Rough-crested Malkoha Dasylophus superciliosus
Chestnut-winged Cuckoo Clamator coromandus
Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius
Levaillant’s Cuckoo Clamator levaillantii
Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus
Little Cuckoo Coccycua minuta
Dwarf Cuckoo Coccycua pumila
Ash-colored Cuckoo Coccycua cinerea
Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana
Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya mexicana
Black-bellied Cuckoo Piaya melanogaster
Dark-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus melacoryphus
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
Pearly-breasted Cuckoo Coccyzus euleri
Mangrove Cuckoo Coccyzus minor
Cocos Cuckoo Coccyzus ferrugineus
Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Grey-capped Cuckoo Coccyzus lansbergi
Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo Coccyzus pluvialis
Bay-breasted Cuckoo Coccyzus rufigularis
Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo Coccyzus vetula
Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo Coccyzus vieilloti
Great Lizard Cuckoo Coccyzus merlini
Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo Coccyzus longirostris
Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeberti
Dwarf Koel Microdynamis parva
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus
Black-billed Koel Eudynamys melanorhynchus
Pacific Koel Eudynamys orientalis
Pacific Long-tailed Cuckoo Urodynamis taitensis
Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae
Asian Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus
Violet Cuckoo Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius
Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas
Yellow-throated Cuckoo Chrysococcyx flavigularis
African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus
Long-billed Cuckoo Chalcites megarhynchus
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites basalis
Black-eared Cuckoo Chalcites osculans
Rufous-throated Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites ruficollis
Shining Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites lucidus
White-eared Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites meyerii
Little Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites minutillus
Pied Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites crassirostris
Pallid Cuckoo Heteroscenes pallidus
White-crowned Cuckoo Caliechthrus leucolophus
Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis castaneiventris
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis
Banded Bay Cuckoo Cacomantis sonneratii
Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus
Grey-bellied Cuckoo Cacomantis passerinus
Rusty-breasted Cuckoo Cacomantis sepulcralis
Sulawesi Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis virescens
Moluccan Cuckoo Cacomantis aeruginosus
Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis variolosus
Solomons Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis addendus
Manus Brush Cuckoo Cacomantis blandus
Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx mechowi
Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx olivinus
Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx montanus
Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus dicruroides
Philippine Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus velutinus
Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris
Moluccan Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus musschenbroeki
Moustached Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx vagans
Large Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioides
Dark Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx bocki
Common Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius
Rufous Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx hyperythrus
Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx pectoralis
Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx nisicolor
Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx fugax
Black Cuckoo Cuculus clamosus
Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius
Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus
Sulawesi Cuckoo Cuculus crassirostris
Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus
African Cuckoo Cuculus gularis
Madagascan Cuckoo Cuculus rochii
Himalayan Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus
Sunda Cuckoo Cuculus lepidus
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
Cuckoo Cuculus optatus
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Cuckoo - Cheating by Nature
| By Nick Davies & James McCallum | Bloomsbury | 2016 | Paperback | 289 pages, 8 plates with colour illustrations | ISBN: 9781408856581 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Cuckoos of the World
| By Johannes Erritzøe, Clive F Mann, Frederik P Brammer & Richard A Fuller, Richard Allen | Christopher Helm | 2012 | Hardback | 544 Pages | 36 Plates | Colour Illustrations | Colour Photos | ISBN: 9780713660340 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Cuckoos, Cowbirds & Other Cheats
| By N B Davies | T & AD Poyser | 2011 | Hardback | 310 pages, photos, illustrations | ISBN: 9781408136669 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Gowk the Cuckoo - Call of the Spring
| By John Miles & Barry Robson | Langford Press | 2014 | Hardback | 32 pages, colour illustrations | Out of Print | ISBN: 9781904078654 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
Say Goodbye to the Cuckoo
| By Michael McCarthy | John Murray | 2010 | Paperback | 243 pages, no illustrations | ISBN: 9781848540620 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
The Cuckoo - (The Uninvited Guest
| By Oldřich Mikulica, Tomáš Grim, Karl Schulze-Hagen & Bård G Stokke | Wild Nature Press | 2016 | Hardback | 160 pages, colour photos | ISBN: 9780995567306 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
The Cuckoo and the Warbler - (A True New Zealand Story
| By Kennedy Warne & Heather Hunt | Potton & Burton | 2016 | Paperback | 36 pages, colour illustrations | ISBN: 9780947503048 Buy this book from NHBS.com -
The Cuckoos
| By Robert B Payne | OUP | 2005 | Hardback | 618 pages, 20 colour plates, tables, maps | ISBN: 9780198502135 Buy this book from NHBS.com
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Cuculidae
Family AccountCuculidae includes some of the most social birds, the group-living anis, it is perhaps best known for its particularly antisocial members. -
Cuculidae
Family AccountThe cuckoo family is a diverse one, though all are united by similarities in anatomy. Many species resemble small hawks with long wings and a down-curved bill. -
The Cuckoos of Shanghai
ArticleGreat photos, plus discussion of Shanghai's cuckoos, which includes most major East Asian types
Given the number of species in this family, Fatbirder does not provide quick links to all of them. However, the entries below do include links to representatives of every genera, all those illustrated and some of the most often encountered, iconic or sought-after species.
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African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus
Species AccountThe African emerald cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) is a species of cuckoo that is native to Africa. -
African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea
Species AccountThe common koels are three species of cuckoos. They have commonly been considered conspecific under the scientific name Eudynamys scolopaceus, but are increasingly treated as separate species... -
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Banded Ground Cuckoo Neomorphus radiolosus
Species AccountImpressively large, roadrunner-like bird of wet foothill rainforest. It's one of the rarest and most sought-after birds of northwestern Ecuador -
Banded Ground Cuckoo Neomorphus radiolosus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Species AccountThe black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) is a New World species in the Cuculidae (cuckoo) family. -
Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Species AccountUncommon and elusive, the Black-billed Cuckoo skulks around densely wooded eastern forests and thickets. -
Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Bornean Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx radiceus
Species AccountSecretive pheasant-like cuckoo that is more often heard than seen; listen for its dove-like “coo-KOO” song and odd sneeze-like call. -
Bornean Ground Cuckoo Carpococcyx radiceus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae
Species AccountThe channel-billed cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is monotypic within the genus Scythrops. -
Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
Species AccountThe Cuckoo is a dove-sized bird with a blue-grey back, head and chest, and stripey black and white belly. Its sleek body, long tail and pointed wings... -
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
Species AccountThe cuckoo, common cuckoo, European cuckoo or Eurasian cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes... -
Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
Species AccountCuckoo is a summer visitor to our shores, the males arriving in late April and leaving again as early as the first week of June. -
Common Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius
Species AccountThe common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius), popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. -
Common Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Dark-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus melacoryphus
Species AccountThe dark-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus melacoryphus) is a species of bird in the Cuculidae family, the cuckoos. -
Dark-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus melacoryphus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx mechowi
Species AccountThe dusky long-tailed cuckoo (Cercococcyx mechowi) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in forests in Central Africa. -
Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx mechowi
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Dwarf Cuckoo Coccycua pumila
Species AccountThe dwarf cuckoo (Coccycua pumila) is a tropical American bird species of the cuckoo family (Cuculidae). It was formerly placed in the genus Coccyzus -
Dwarf Cuckoo Coccycua pumila
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Dwarf Koel Microdynamis parva
Species AccountA medium-sized cuckoo of lowland and hill forest. Both sexes have a brown body, thick bill, and white stripe below the red eye. -
Dwarf Koel Microdynamis parva
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis
Species AccountThe fan-tailed cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. -
Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis
Species AccountFull species account… -
Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus dicruroides
Species AccountGlossy small black cuckoo with a forked tail. Juvenile has a galaxy-like smattering of white spots all over the body. -
Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus dicruroides
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Giant Coua Coua gigas
Species AccountGiant Coua Coua gigas Huge, long-tailed, long-legged bird. Rufous belly and blue-and-pink bare facial skin. -
Giant Coua Coua gigas
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius
Species AccountDistinctive, boldly patterned cuckoo with a spiffy crest and white-spotted wings. Adult has a gray crest and gray-brown back. -
Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
Species AccountThe greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in Asia, from India, east to south China, Nepal and Indonesia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species. -
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
Species AccountThe greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from the Aridoamerica region in the Southwestern United... -
Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Green Malkoha Ceuthmochares australis
Species AccountThe green malkoha or whistling yellowbill (Ceuthmochares australis) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. -
Green Malkoha Ceuthmochares australis
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis
Species AccountThe green-billed malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis) is a species of non-parasitic cuckoo found throughout the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. -
Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
Species AccountThe groove-billed ani (Crotophaga sulcirostris) is a tropical bird in the cuckoo family with a long tail and a large, curved beak. -
Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Guira Cuckoo Guira guira
Species AccountThe guira cuckoo, known in Spanish as the pirincho (Guira guira) is a species of gregarious bird found widely in open and semi-open habitats... -
Guira Cuckoo Guira guira
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Klaas's Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas
Species AccountThe species was named by French explorer François Le Vaillant after his Khoikhoi servant. Le Vaillant was the only colonial biologist to name a bird species after local people. -
Klaas's Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis
Species AccountThe lesser coucal (Centropus bengalensis) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide distribution range that overlaps with several other similar species. -
Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Lesser Ground Cuckoo Morococcyx erythropygus
Species AccountInhabits brushy dry woodland in tropical lowlands, where most of the time it walks stealthily on the ground. -
Lesser Ground Cuckoo Morococcyx erythropygus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Mangrove Cuckoo Coccyzus minor
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Mangrove Cuckoo Coccyzus minor
Species AccountSlender, long-tailed bird found in shrubby woodland (especially mangroves). -
Mangrove Cuckoo Coccyzus minor
Species AccountThe mangrove cuckoo (Coccyzus minor) is a species of cuckoo that is native to the Neotropics. -
Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya mexicana
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Mexican Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya mexicana
Species AccountVery striking and long-tailed bright rusty cuckoo, widespread in tropical lowlands and locally up into foothills. -
Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus optatus
Species AccountThe Oriental cuckoo or Horsfields cuckoo (Cuculus optatus) is a bird belonging to the genus Cuculus in the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Himalayan cuckoo (C. saturatus) with the name Oriental cuckoo used for the combined species -
Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus optatus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Pacific Long-tailed Cuckoo Urodynamis taitensis
Species AccountLarge cuckoo with horizontal spots and streaking and a very distinctive long tail. Mainly found in native and exotic forests during the breeding season. -
Pacific Long-tailed Cuckoo Urodynamis taitensis
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Pallid Cuckoo Heteroscenes pallidus
Species AccountLarge pale cuckoo, which lacks the warmer tones of both Fan-tailed and Brush cuckoos. Yellow eyering, and a dark indistinct stripe across the cheek. -
Pallid Cuckoo Heteroscenes pallidus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus
Species AccountThe pheasant coucal (Centropus phasianinus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Australia, Timor and New Guinea. -
Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus
Species AccountFull species account… -
Pheasant Coucal Centropus phasianinus
Species AccountA large 'pheasant-like', ground-dwelling cuckoo, the Pheasant Coucal has a long tail and short rounded wings. In its breeding plumage, it has a black head, neck and underbody with the upperparts and wings reddish-brown with black and cream barring and the black tail is barred orange. -
Pheasant Cuckoo Dromococcyx phasianellus
Species AccountThe pheasant cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus) is a species of neotropical cuckoo in the subfamily Neomorphinae of the family Cuculidae. -
Pheasant Cuckoo Dromococcyx phasianellus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Raffles's Malkoha Rhinortha chlorophaea
Species AccountRaffles's malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea) is a species of cuckoo (family Cuculidae). It was formerly often placed in Phaenicophaeus with the other malkohas. -
Raffles's Malkoha Rhinortha chlorophaea
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Red-billed Malkoha Zanclostomus javanicus
Species AccountThe red-billed malkoha (Zanclostomus javanicus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar -
Red-billed Malkoha Zanclostomus javanicus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Red-capped Coua Coua ruficeps
Species AccountThe red-capped coua (Coua ruficeps) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is endemic to northwest Madagascar. -
Red-capped Coua Coua ruficeps
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius
Species AccountA mostly grayish cuckoo with banding below, including a broad rusty band across the upper breast. -
Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Rough-crested Malkoha Dasylophus superciliosus
Species AccountA large, long-tailed bird of lowland and foothill forest. Blackish in plumage, with a bluish gloss on the back and a white tail tip. -
Rough-crested Malkoha Dasylophus superciliosus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis
Species AccountThe Senegal coucal (Centropus senegalensis) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the hoatzin. It is a medium-sized member of its genus and is found in lightly-wooded country and savannah in central and southern Africa. -
Shining Bronze Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
Species AccountSpecies Information Breeding and ecology The shining cuckoo (shining bronze-cuckoo in Australia) is a summer migrant to New Zealand. It is common throughout New Zealand but it is small and cryptically-coloured and so is more often heard than seen -
Shining Bronze Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
Species AccountThe shining bronze-cuckoo (Chrysococcyx lucidus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae, found in Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. It was previously also known as Chalcites lucidus. -
Shining Bronze Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Sirkeer Malkoha Taccocua leschenaultii
Species AccountGray-brown cuckoo with a uniquely hooked red bill. Teardrop-shaped dark patch around each eye gives it a distinctly fashionable, elegant appearance. -
Sirkeer Malkoha Taccocua leschenaultii
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani
Species AccountThe smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani) is a bird in the cuckoo family. It is a resident breeding species from southern Florida, the Caribbean, parts of Central... -
Smooth-billed Ani Crotophaga ani
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris
Species AccountA small, slim black cuckoo rather similar to Black Drongo but smaller, with a curved bill. Adult black with white bars in the undertail, shorter-tailed... -
Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana
Species AccountThe squirrel cuckoo (Piaya cayana) is a large and active species of cuckoo found in wooded habitats from northwestern Mexico to northern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad. -
Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana
Species AccountThe Squirrel Cuckoo is a pan-Neotropical inhabitant of a large diversity of forested, wooded, and disturbed habitats across the entire humidity gradient from tropical deciduous forest, coffee plantations, and gallery forests to primary humid lowland rainforest -
Squirrel Cuckoo Piaya cayana
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Striped Cuckoo Tapera naevia
Species AccountLong-tailed, fairly small cuckoo of tropical lowlands, rarely seen unless singing its loud and far-carrying song, usually from a fence or other low perch. -
Striped Cuckoo Tapera naevia
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeberti
Species AccountThe thick-billed cuckoo (Pachycoccyx audeberti) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is monotypic within the genus Pachycoccyx. -
Thick-billed Cuckoo Pachycoccyx audeberti
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus
Species AccountBirdLife species account… -
White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus
Species AccountThe white-browed coucal or lark-heeled cuckoo (Centropus superciliosus), is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa. -
White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
White-crowned Cuckoo Caliechthrus leucolophus
Species AccountThe white-crowned cuckoo or white-crowned koel (Caliechthrus leucolophus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. -
White-crowned Cuckoo Caliechthrus leucolophus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
Species AccountThe yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is a cuckoo. Common folk-names for this bird in the southern United States are rain crow and storm crow. These likely refer to the bird's habit of calling on hot days, often presaging thunderstorms. -
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
Species AccountYellow-billed Cuckoos are slender, long-tailed birds that manage to stay well hidden in deciduous woodlands. -
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Yellow-billed Malkoha Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus
Species AccountA large, thick-billed malkoha, endemic to Sulawesi, where the only Malkoha. Rufous top half and dark bottom half give it the appearance of having been dipped in -
Yellow-billed Malkoha Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map.