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13

Pallid Cuckoo

(Cuculus pallidus)
Alternative names: "Grasshopper Hawk", "Harbinger-of-Spring", "Stormbird*", "Rainbird*", "Semitone-bird", "Scale-bird", "Brainfever-bird"
Size: 28-34 cm
Weight: 90 g (average)

Similar species

SUBSECTIONS:      Classification      Distribution      Sightings      Photos      Breeding      Nest      Eggs      Behaviour      Food     

Taxonomy, classification

See Pallid Cuckoo at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

(for details refer to a field guide)

Click here to display information on habitat, range and finding this species

Sightings

Pallid Cuckoos showed up where we lived in 2003-2006, 20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, only occasionally.

Click here to display more sighting information

Photos

Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a look here .

Close-up lateral view of a male Pallid Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2010]

Here the same Pallid Cuckoo as above issuing its loud call
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2010]

Male Pallid Cuckoo on a power line
[20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, 2006]

Dorsal view of a Pallid Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]

This photo shows the pale patch at the back of the bird's head
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]

Willie Wagtail was clearly not pleased by the cuckoo's appearance
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]

Here again Willie Wagtail objects to the presence of a young Pallid Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2013]

Frontal view of a young Pallid Cuckoo moulting into its adult plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2013]

Frontal view of a young Pallid Cuckoo moulting into its adult plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2013]

Lateral view of a young Pallid Cuckoo moulting into its adult plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2013]

Frontal view of an immature female Pallid Cuckoo
[20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, January 2006]

Dorsal view of the same immature female Pallid Cuckoo as above
[20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, January 2006]

White-plumed Honeyeater making it clear to a Pallid Cuckoo that it is not welcome
[20 km south of Narrabri, NSW, January 2006]

Breeding information

As all cuckoos, Pallid Cuckoos host on smaller bird species. One potential host species is the White-plumed Honeyeater.

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Terrritorial Mobility: Migratory Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Food, Diet

Like most other cuckoos, Pallid Cuckoos are insect hunters. They take their prey from foliage and from the ground. This species has a rare taste for hairy caterpillars, which most other birds dislike.

Immature Pallid Cuckoo with its prey (which looks like a small beetle)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2013]

These pages are largely based on our own observations. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.