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Horsfield's Bronze-CuckooAlternative name: "Narrow-billed Bronze-Cuckoo", "Rufous-tailed Bronze-Cuckoo" Size: 14-17 cm Weight: 26 g (average) |
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Similar species |
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SUBSECTIONS:
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Taxonomy, classification |
See Horsfield's
Bronze-Cuckoo
at Wikipedia
.
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
(for details refer to a field guide) |
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Sightings |
We have had a few sightings of Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos, first at the farm where we lived until 2006, 20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, in 2004 and again in October 2005.
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Photos |
Frontal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2007]
Near-lateral view of a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Lateral view of the same Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo as shown above
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Dorsal view of the same Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo as shown above
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2011]
When a female arrived, the male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (left) got all
excited
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2007]
Male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo pulling all the stops to impress her
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2007]
Frontal view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2007]
Lateral view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2007]
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo that has just launched itself from its perch
[Glacial Valley, 35 km south-west of Bingara, NSW, March 2013]
The identification of this juvenile bird is uncertain; it is likely a
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, but could possibly also be a juvenile Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
(photo courtesy of R. Druce)
The same juvenile bird as shown above, in different posture; it is likely a
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, but could possibly also be a juvenile Shining Bronze-Cuckoo
(photo courtesy of R. Druce)
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Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Migratory | Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
One of the few diurnal bird species that we have found to also be active at night, especially near full moon.
Together with other birds marking the boundaries of their territory by calling from vantage points, we noticed that the local Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos were quiet for two days during a late cold snap in late October 2008.
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Food, Diet |
Like most other small cuckoos, Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos are insect hunters. They take their prey from the ground.
Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo seen by us hunting insects in Casuarina trees along a
creek
[Glacial Valley, 35 km south-west of Bingara, NSW, March 2013]



















