Bird Guide

Channel-billed Cuckoo vs Sahul Brush Cuckoo

Channel-billed Cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae)

Channel-billed Cuckoo

Scythrops novaehollandiae

Large684 gForest

The world's largest cuckoo, the channel-billed cuckoo measures between 56–70 cm (22–28 in) long, with a 88–107 cm (35–42 in) wingspan, and weighing between 560–935 g (1.235–2.061 lb). 24 adults were found to have averaged 684 g (1.508 lb) in body mass. According to a manual on avian body masses, another species of cuckoo, the buff-headed coucal, may have a mean body mass some 11% higher than the channel-billed cuckoo. The bill is bi-coloured, with a grey base becoming straw-coloured at the tip.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Channel-billed Cuckoo
Recorded by James Ray · Call, flight call, song · Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains City Council, New South Wales, Australia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Bilby · CC BY 3.0
Sahul Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus)

Sahul Brush Cuckoo

Cacomantis variolosus

Small36 gForest

The Sahul brush cuckoo is about 22–26 cm (8.7–10.2 in) long. The plumage of adult males and females is similar. The head is pale grey, the breast is buff, the back is grey-brown, and the underside of the tail is brown with white tips and bars. The eye has a narrow, pale ring around it, and the feet are olive-pink. Juvenile plumage is heavily barred dark brown. The wings are sharply pointed and backswept in flight. Underwings are grey-brown with pale buff underwing coverts and a white or pale buff bar.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ged Tranter · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Channel-billed Cuckoo and Sahul Brush Cuckoo.