Cacomantis flabelliformis

Fan-tailed Cuckoo at Bonython, ACT

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Identification history

Cacomantis flabelliformis	12 Mar 2023	natureguy
Cacomantis flabelliformis	11 Mar 2023	Liam.m
Cacomantis variolosus	11 Mar 2023	MatthewFrawley
Eudynamys orientalis	27 Feb 2023	CarbonAI
Cacomantis variolosus	27 Feb 2023	RodDeb

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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

Liam.m wrote:

11 Mar 2023

@natureguy, @LukeD

natureguy wrote:

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 (Brush Cuckoo) which is a typical immature Brush with very buffy plumage.

MatthewFrawley wrote:

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.

Liam.m wrote:

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.

RodDeb wrote:

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.

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