Cacomantis flabelliformis
Fan-tailed Cuckoo at Bonython, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Cacomantis flabelliformis | natureguy | 12 Mar 2023 | |
| Cacomantis flabelliformis | Liam.m | 11 Mar 2023 | |
| Cacomantis variolosus | MatthewFrawley | 11 Mar 2023 | |
| Eudynamys orientalis | CarbonAI | 27 Feb 2023 | |
| Cacomantis variolosus | RodDeb | 27 Feb 2023 |
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User's notes
the pattern of the marking on the underparts and the dark eye with the lack of a yellow eye-ring show it is a Brush Cuckoo not a Fan-tailed Cuckoo - confirmed on eBird by moderator Kim after notifying us that it was an unusual sighting for this area so was treated as a rare sighting. Not the best pics but it was scared off by a Red Wattlebird a short time after these pics were taken.
Also confirmed on ABID as a Brush Cuckoo.
5 comments
12 Mar 2023
Yes I agree, looks like a Fan-tailed to me, this bird is pretty dark plain brown whereas immature Brush has very buffy mottling and striping throughout the plumage. The eye-ring is also often indistinct or absent in immature birds so I see no reason to count that feature as conclusive either way, and again, the patterning on the underparts looks like Fan-tailed not Brush to me. Also given the fairly open habitat in an urban area it is more likely to be a Fan-tailed (though not 100% guaranteed), but combined with the other features I'm pretty convinced. It might help to have a look at some of the other images on CNM or eBird of both species immatures to see what I'm talking about if you're not convinced. e.g. this Fan-tailed, which has the typical brown underparts but no yellow eye-ring Cacomantis flabelliformis (Fan-tailed Cuckoo) , and this one of yours Cacomantis variolosus (Sahul Brush Cuckoo) which is a typical immature Brush with very buffy plumage.
12 Mar 2023
Think this one, and at least one of the other examples you have given are open for debate on the correct identification.
12 Mar 2023
I wholeheartedly agree with Luke on this. The bird pictured in this sighting is a much better fit for a young Fan-tailed than a young brush (for the reasons he has stated above). I saw a similar bird a few years ago, and was also told by the moderator at the time (not Kim) that it was a young brush, for the same reasons as she stated (i.e. lack of yellow eye ring and marking of underparts). This bird was also a young Fan-tailed (see ebird list https://ebird.org/australia/checklist/S27252978). Both the examples Luke has provided have been correctly identified. As he said, the eye-ring in young birds is often indistinct or absent, so it is not a good ID point. Moreover, the patterning in young Brush and Fan-tailed cuckoos differs quite noticeably, and though Fan-tailed can appear quite mottly, they lack the buffiness and more distinct barring present in young Brush cuckoos.
12 Mar 2023
thanks all, wish we had got pics of it out in the open before the Red Wattlebird chased it off but it was too quick. Had a look at the ebird sighting given and could see a pale eye ring on that bird. So are on the fence could be one or the other, unfortunately the bird was not telling.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.070656-35.429447
- Maps Stranger Pond
- Places Bonython, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 27 Feb 2023 12:30 PM Recorded on
- RodDeb Recorded by
Collections
Species information
- Cacomantis flabelliformis Scientific name
- Fan-tailed Cuckoo Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1708.9m Recorded at altitude
Seasonal activity
-
Was this a nesting or breeding site?
JFMAMJJASOND
Record quality
Quality score
4 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Description
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Additional attributes