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The Sahul brush cuckoo, formerly known as the brush cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo family. It is native to Malesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and northern and eastern Australia. It is a grey-brown bird with a buff breast. Its call is a familiar sound of the Australian and Indonesian bush.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Plaintive CuckooCacomantis merulinusThe plaintive cuckoo is fairly small, measuring about 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in) long.
Grey-bellied CuckooCacomantis passerinusThe grey-bellied cuckoo is one of the smaller cuckoos, at a total length of about 23 cm.
Banded Bay CuckooCacomantis sonneratiiThe adults are bright rufous or bay on the head and back and are broadly barred with dark brown.
Learn the Sahul Brush 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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