Cacomantis variolosus
The Brush Cuckoo male is grey-brown above, light grey to buff below, with a grey head, neck and breast. The tail has a white tip and is barred white underneath. The female has two colour morphs (forms): unbarred and barred. The unbarred morph is similar to the male but is much paler buff underneath, with faint grey barring across the chest. The barred morph is less common, and has streaked/barred upper parts and the underbody is darkly barred. Juvenile Brush Cuckoos are heavily barred dark brown above and mottled and barred underneath. Female finelly barred grey below. Juvenile has head, back and wings barred buff and dark brown., tail dark brown barred rufous and (rarely) white, black-barre white below, iris whitish grey or pale light brown
Not Threatened.
The Brush Cuckoo male is grey-brown above, light grey to buff below, with a grey head, neck and breast. The tail has a white tip and is barred white underneath. The female has two colour morphs (forms): unbarred and barred. The unbarred morph is similar to the male but is much paler buff underneath, with faint grey barring across the chest. The barred morph is less common, and has streaked/barred upper parts and the underbody is darkly barred. Juvenile Brush Cuckoos are heavily barred dark brown above and mottled and barred underneath. Female finelly barred grey below. Juvenile has head, back and wings barred buff and dark brown., tail dark brown barred rufous and (rarely) white, black-barre white below, iris whitish grey or pale light brown
21-28 cm, 34 g
Taxonomy:
- Cuculus variolosus Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, Paramatta, New South Wales. Sometimes placed in Cuculus. Form sepulcralis (incorporating everetti, virescens, aeruginosus, infaustus) is often treated as a distinct species on grounds of claimed morphological and vocal differences; sometimes reckoned to be closer to C. merulinus. Several additional island races have been described, but are nowadays considered invalid. Eleven subspecies recognized. (source: Handbook of the Birds of World)
Subspecies and Distribution:
- * sepulcralis (S. Müller, 1843) - S Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia through Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and Philippines to Lesser Sundas (Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba). * everetti Hartert, 1925 - SW Philippines (Basilan and Sulu Is). * virescens (Brüggemann, 1876) - Sulawesi. * aeruginosus Salvadori, 1878 - W & C Moluccas (Sula, Buru, Ambon, Seram). * infaustus Cabanis & Heine, 1863 - N & E Moluccas (Morotai, Tidore, Ternate, Halmahera, Bacan, Obi, Seram Laut, Watubela, Kai), New Guinea and islands to NE. * oreophilus Hartert, 1925 - highlands of E & S New Guinea. * blandus Rothschild & Hartert, 1914 - Admiralty Is. * macrocercus Stresemann, 1921 - Bismarck Archipelago (except New Hanover), Tabar I. * websteri Hartert, 1898 - New Hanover. * addendus Rothschild & Hartert, 1901 - Solomon Is. * variolosus (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) - N & E Australia; winters N to Aru Is, Kai Is, Moluccas, New Guinea, W Papuan islands and Lesser Sundas (Timor, Kisar).
It is found in wooded habitats, including rainforest, wet sclerophyll forests, paperbarks, along waterways and in more open forests and woodlands. Sometimes found in gardens.
Eats insects, particularly hairy caterpillars. It usually forages high in the forest canopy but may sometimes feed on the ground.
It is a nest parasite, which means that it lays its eggs in other birds' nests. The most common hosts are: flycatchers, especially Rhipidura species, robins, fairy-wrens, gerygones and honeyeaters. In northern Australia the main hosts are: the Brown-backed and Bar-breasted Honeyeaters, while in southern Australia, the hosts are mainly the Grey Fantail, Scarlet Robin and Leaden Flycatcher. Only one egg is laid in a host's nest and the eggs tend to resemble closely the eggs of the chosen host in markings. The young cuckoo ejects any other eggs or young once it hatches. The host parents brood and feed the young cuckoo, sometimes for up to a month after it fledges. Breeding season: September to January in south; most months in north. Clutch size: 1 Incubation: 12 days Time in nest: 19 days