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Large cuckoo known for its loud distinctive calls.
Not listed
Indigenous: A-Duwawh, Duwawmanja, Jawok, Gowak, Stounbed, Duwaw, Wurramurra, Guwag, Birbirg, Bogubogu, Burrala-Burrala
At a glance
FamilyCuckoos
SizeSmall
RarityCommon
HabitatClosed forest, Grassland, Open woodland, Sparse woodland, and Waterbodies
Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from October to January.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Étienne Leroy
Range map
Range map
2773visible hotspots
114763visible records
6states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Bright red eye. Males entirely black. Females barred with varying patterns, a black crown and a strong moustache. Occurs in a variety of habitats, fairly common in suburban areas. Strong migrant, spending the middle of the year in eastern Indonesia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and migrating south into eastern Australia during the austral summer.
Behavior
Large cuckoo known for its loud distinctive calls. Calls are very loud, often heard at night or pre-dawn, including a piercing ‘coo-eee’, and a longer ‘wirra-wirra-wirra’ (similar to a car alarm).
Gallery