Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo (Neomorphus rufipennis) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

ForestLarge · 378 g

Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo (Neomorphus rufipennis), photo 1 — Photo: Jason Fidorra · CC BY 4.0

Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo (Neomorphus rufipennis), photo 3 — Photo: (c) Jason Fidorra, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

What the Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo sounds like

Sonogram of the Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Whaldener Endo · Bill snapping · Alto Alegre, Roraima, Brazil · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The rufous-winged ground cuckoo is 48 to 56 cm (19 to 22 in) long, about half of which is its tail. Males weigh about 435 g (15 oz) and females about 325 g (11 oz). Adults have a heavy decurved bill that is black with a greenish to greenish white tip on the maxilla. The sexes are alike. They have a deep purplish blue head, crest, neck, and upper back and olive lower back and uppertail coverts. Their inner tail feathers are metallic purple and the outer ones black with a green gloss. Their wings' primaries are bluish black and the secondaries dark brownish red. Voice: The rufous-winged ground cuckoo's territorial call is "a loud forceful whOOu" that resembles a dove's call but is clearer and louder and may be repeated for several minutes. Another call is "a low guttural gr'r'r." They also make a dry clacking sound by clapping their bill that may mimic peccaries.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 7 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 2 countries with regular records, and 2 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.

Guyana Venezuela

Recorded as a rare visitor in Brazil, Colombia.

About the Rufous-winged Ground Cuckoo

The rufous-winged ground cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the tribe Neomorphini of subfamily Crotophaginae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, and possibly Colombia.

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

Easily confused with

Banded Ground CuckooNeomorphus radiolosusThe banded ground cuckoo is about 46 cm (18 in) long, about half of which is its tail, and weighs about 400 g (14 oz). Scaled Ground CuckooNeomorphus squamigerThe scaled ground cuckoo is about 43 cm (17 in) long, about half of which is its tail, and weighs about 340 g (12 oz).

Red-billed Ground CuckooNeomorphus pucheraniiThe red-billed ground cuckoo is 43 to 55 cm (17 to 22 in) long, about half of which is its tail.

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