BirdUp · Species
Oriental Cuckoo
Cuculus optatusGould, 1845
- Conservation
- Least Concern
- Commonness
- Very common
- Best seen
- Year-round
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
The Oriental cuckoo or Horsfield's cuckoo is a bird belonging to the genus Cuculus in the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Himalayan cuckoo, with the name 'Oriental cuckoo' used for the combined species. Differences in voice and size suggest that it should be treated as a separate species. The binomial name Cuculus horsfieldi has often been used instead of Cuculus optatus, but is now usually considered to be a junior synonym.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
02 · Where
Where to find it
- Breeding range
- West Russia and Kazakhstan through north-east Russia to Japan
- Non-breeding range
- South-east Asia, Philippines and Indonesian Arch. to north and east Australia, New Guinea and satellites, Bismarck Arch. and Solomon Is.
03 · When
When to look
Months this species is recorded across its Australian range.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
The BirdUp app
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