Grey-bellied Cuckoo
Cacomantis passerinus
The Grey-bellied Cuckoo (Cacomantis passerinus) is a uncommon cuckoo found in 8 countries, weighing about 25 g. The grey-bellied cuckoo or the Indian plaintive cuckoo is a cuckoo with widespread occurrence throughout Asia.
About the Grey-bellied Cuckoo
The grey-bellied cuckoo or the Indian plaintive cuckoo is a cuckoo with widespread occurrence throughout Asia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The grey-bellied cuckoo is one of the smaller cuckoos, at a total length of about 23 cm. Adults are mainly grey with a white lower belly and undertail. There is a white patch on the wings. Some females are dark-barred reddish brown above with an unbarred tail and have strongly dark-barred whitish underparts. The juvenile resembles the female but is of a duller grey.
What the Grey-bellied Cuckoo sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United Arab Emirates.
When to see it
The Grey-bellied Cuckoo can be seen all year round, with peak activity in June. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Grey-bellied Cuckoo?
- The grey-bellied cuckoo is one of the smaller cuckoos, at a total length of about 23 cm. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Grey-bellied Cuckoo?
- The Grey-bellied Cuckoo is a small sized bird weighing about 25 g.
- Where can you see a Grey-bellied Cuckoo?
- The Grey-bellied Cuckoo occurs in 8 countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan.
- What does a Grey-bellied Cuckoo sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Grey-bellied Cuckoo on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Grey-bellied Cuckoo?
- The Grey-bellied Cuckoo is most easily confused with the Banded Bay Cuckoo, the Plaintive Cuckoo and the Sahul Brush Cuckoo.
- Is the Grey-bellied Cuckoo endangered?
- The Grey-bellied Cuckoo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Grey-bellied Cuckoo for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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