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Pheasant Cuckoo

Dromococcyx phasianellus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestMedium · 85 g
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 1
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 2
Photo: Roger A. Morales-Flores · CC BY 4.0
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 3
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 4
Photo: Diego Blanco · CC0
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 5
Photo: Giovana A. Valencia · CC BY 4.0
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 6
Photo: Giovana A. Valencia · CC BY 4.0
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 7
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Pheasant Cuckoo (Dromococcyx phasianellus), photo 8
Photo: Giovana A. Valencia · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

The pheasant cuckoo is a large cuckoo with a short crest tipped with rusty brown. The bird's upper parts are dark sooty-brown and the underparts are pale buff with small black streaks on the breast. The feathers of the large tail are of varying lengths, with the central ones being the longest. The call consists of two short whistles, the second being of higher pitch, followed by a trill "whee! whee! wheerr-rr". It can be sung from low, medium, or high perches or from the ground.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Pheasant Cuckoo

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Pheasant Cuckoo

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 16 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Mexico Guatemala Belize Panama Brazil Peru Colombia Honduras Nicaragua Paraguay Ecuador Argentina Bolivia El Salvador Venezuela French Guiana

Recorded as a rare visitor in Costa Rica.

About the Pheasant Cuckoo

The pheasant cuckoo is a species of neotropical cuckoo in the subfamily Neomorphinae of the family Cuculidae. It is native to Central and South America where it occurs in lowland tropical forest.

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

Easily confused with

Pavonine Cuckoo (Dromococcyx pavoninus) Pavonine CuckooDromococcyx pavoninusThe head and crest of this bird is rusty brown and the remaining plumage is mainly dark brown above and paler below, with a rich buff coloured supercilium, throat and breast.

Side by side: Pavonine Cuckoo vs Pheasant Cuckoo

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