Its plaintive, ascending whistle call is one of the characteristic sounds of the Australian spring across much of the continent.
Not listed
Endemic to Australia
At a glance
FamilyCuckoos
SizeMedium
RarityCommon
Habitatopen woodland, sparse woodland, closed forest, grassland, and herbaceous graminoids sparse hummock grasses
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from September to October.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by jimchurches
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
62628approx records
7states
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
Yellow eyering, and a dark indistinct stripe across the cheek.
Behavior
Has a distinctive call that has several notes, and tends to perch in prominent places or fence-posts while calling.
Gallery
Regional timing
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Northern Territory
New South Wales
Tasmania
Victoria
Australian Capital Territory