Fan-tailed Cuckoo — Australian Bird Identification Guide

Bird guideFan-tailed Cuckoo

Parasitises small passerine birds, especially thornbills; its descending trill call is a common sound of east-coast forests.

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⚠️Not listed

At a glance

FamilyCuckoos

SizeMedium

RarityCommon

Habitatclosed forest, open woodland, sparse woodland, grassland, and waterbodies

Best timeMost reliable in New South Wales from September to November.

Sounds

Sound sample

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Recorded by Étienne Leroy

Range map

Occurrence window

6820visible hotspots

223494visible records

5states

Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence

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 yellow eyering and heavily barred tail. Take care to identify from Brush Cuckoo (which has a gray eyering), and from Pallid Cuckoo (which is paler and lacks the warm breast tones).

Behavior

Often detected by sound since this species calls frequently with a descending trill. Perches in the midstory on exposed branches, and flushes easily to a nearby perch.

Gallery