Birds Wiki
Advertisement
Birds Wiki
Himalayan Cuckoo
{{{image_alt}}}
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Genus: Cuculus
Species: Cuculus saturatus

The Himalayan Cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus) is an Old World cuckoo native to Asia. It was formerly known as "Oriental Cuckoo" prior to a discovery in 2005 that led to a split of this species into 3 species: Himalayan Cuckoo (Cuculus (saturatus) saturatus), Oriental Cuckoo proper (Cuculus (saturatus) optatus), and Sunda Cuckoo (Cuculus (saturatus) lepidus).

Description[]

This cuckoo, measured at a length of 30-35 cm and weighed between 70-140 g, is visually indistinguishable from the Oriental Cuckoo. Males are grey above with a white black-barred belly and a dark grey tail. Females are somewhat similar to males, but some females in a distinct morph have cinnamon-brown upperparts with black barring throughout.

Voice[]

To distinguish this species from the visually similar Oriental Cuckoo, whose call is a mellow "boop-boop" series, the Himalayan Cuckoo calls in a series ranging from 4 to 5 notes, with the first note being sharper and more distinct than the ones after.

Behavior[]

Himalayan Cuckoos prey on caterpillars and large insects like grasshoppers, cicadas, crickets and dragonflies. They are also known to feed on fruits, berries and plant matter.

The Himalayan Cuckoo is a brood parasite in which the female lays about fifteen white or light brown eggs and deposits them one by one in the nests of other birds, generally flycatchers, shrikes and white-eyes. The eggs are then incubated by the foster parents. The young cuckoo is fed with insects and larvae.

Distribution and Habitat[]

This species relies on others to raise their young in a wide area that stretches from the Himalayas through northern Myanmar to southern and eastern China and Taiwan. In winter, these birds migrate to the southeast and reside on the large Sunda Islands and western New Guinea. In spring and summer, it is found in coniferous forests, birches and in mountain forests or steppes with bushes scattered around. In autumn and winter, it lives in tropical forests.

Advertisement