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Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Cacomantis flabelliformis

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestSmall · 50 g
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis), photo 1
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis), photo 2
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis), photo 3
Photo: Maria Duynisveld · CC BY 4.0
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis), photo 4
Photo: Maria Duynisveld · CC BY 4.0
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis), photo 5
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis), photo 6
Photo: gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K · CC BY 2.0

What the Fan-tailed Cuckoo sounds like

Sonogram of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Richard Fuller · Nocturnal flight call · Carindale, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The fan-tailed cuckoo is about 25–27 cm (9.8–10.6 in) long. The fan-tailed cuckoo has a slate-grey head, back and wings, rufous underparts and barred black and white tail. Its eye is surrounded by a yellow orbital eye ring which helps to distinguish it from the smaller and paler brush cuckoo (C. variolosus) and the also smaller chestnut-breasted cuckoo (C. castaneiventris).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Fan-tailed Cuckoo

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 11 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Regular range

The map shades 6 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Australia Papua New Guinea Fiji New Caledonia Indonesia Vanuatu

About the Fan-tailed Cuckoo

The fan-tailed cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Sahul Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus) Sahul Brush CuckooCacomantis variolosusThe Sahul brush cuckoo is about 22–26 cm (8.7–10.2 in) long. Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) Plaintive CuckooCacomantis merulinusThe plaintive cuckoo is fairly small, measuring about 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in) long. Grey-bellied Cuckoo (Cacomantis passerinus) Grey-bellied CuckooCacomantis passerinusThe grey-bellied cuckoo is one of the smaller cuckoos, at a total length of about 23 cm.

Side by side: Fan-tailed Cuckoo vs Guira Cuckoo · Fan-tailed Cuckoo vs Sahul Brush Cuckoo · Fan-tailed Cuckoo vs Plaintive Cuckoo · Fan-tailed Cuckoo vs Grey-bellied Cuckoo

Learn the Fan-tailed Cuckoo in the BeakBrain App

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