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Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites [Chrysococcyx] basalis) Alternate name(s): "Narrow-billed Bronze-Cuckoo", "Rufous-tailed Bronze-Cuckoo" Aboriginal name(s): "djorit*" (WA) Size: 15-17 cm; wing span: ca. 29 cm Body mass: 17-32 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.15-0.22

Australia: Family Group 13 Family Group 13 Table Oriental Cuckoo Pallid Cuckoo Brush Cuckoo Black-eared Cuckoo Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo Fan-tailed Cuckoo Horsefield's Bronze-Cuckoo Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Little Bronze-Cuckoo Australian Koel Channel-billed Cuckoo Pheasant Coucal Rufous Owl Powerful Owl Barking Owl Australian Boobook Eastern Barn Owl Eastern Grass Owl Australian Masked Owl Greater Sooty Owl Lesser Sooty Owl Marbled Frogmouth Tawny Frogmouth Papuan Frogmouth White-throated Nightjar Spotted Nightjar Large-tailed Nightjar Australian Owlet-nightjar Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Thumbnails page Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos are small cuckoos. The front is mostly white, with some partial greyish-brown barring. They have a prominent brownish-green eye stripe. The back is russet-brown tinged with metallic green. Depending on the angle of infalling sunlight, the upperwings can show some iridescence. The undertail is heavily barred grey-and-white, while the uppertail is mostly coloured as the rest of the back, except some russet feathers on the outside and some barring showing on the edges from the undertail feathers. Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos have no visible eye-rings. The only obvious difference between the two sexes is that males have reddish-brown irises, while those of females are grey to bluish-grey. Juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos have a greyish-fawn front and a brown back. Only the tail is barred at this age. Twitcher's tip They are distinguished from Shining Bronze-Cuckoos by their prominent, downward-curved brownish-green eye stripe.

Taxonomy, classification See Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo is available HERE . When not in Australia, Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos are found on the islands of far south-eastern Asia, from southern Malaysia through eastern Indonesia and Timor Leste to southern New Guinea. Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos migrate to Australia from the North. In contrast with other species, they not only hop islands across the Torres Strait, but can make landfall anywhere along the North coast of Australia, from about Broome, WA, to Cape Melville, QLD. They populate almost the entire Australian continent and breed only in Australia. During their breeding season they are found mostly in the eastern half (except the far North), Tasmania, and the south-western corner of the continent. At other times they can disperse across the rest of the continent, including many offshore islands. Only in the most arid parts of the mainland (mostly the great sandy deserts of the eastern half of WA, South of the Kimberley) they are found only rarely. Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos can usually be found in open woodland and also farmland with scattered trees.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos are heard regularly by us in the area of Narrabri, NSW, during the breeding season, first where we lived until 2006, 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, in 2004 and again in October 2005. Starting in September 2007, a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo declared the trees around our house at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, its home for the breeding season. After their summer migration, a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo returned to our area in early October 2008. The next sighting there was in August 2012. In subsequent years we noticed that Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos do not always migrate. In 2015, for example, a bird was consistently heard and seen at Eulah Creek throughout the winter, despite two cold snaps, with snow in the adjacent Nandewar Range down to below 1000 m. The same was noted again in the winter of 2016. In the 2017 breeding season, two males were heard calling strongly at Eulah Creek, near Wee Waa, NSW, at the end of July. In 2019 the first bird was found in the third week of August. In May 2024, lots of Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos were found at Narran Lakes NR, NSW. B. Hensen reports spotting Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos at Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, in October 2012 and at Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, in December 2012. R. Plumtree reports spotting Horsfield's Cuckoo at Doctors Flat Road, Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, in September 2015. H. Mouritsen spotted one Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo near Darwin, NT, in October 2015. Both M. Eaton and ourselves found Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos at the Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, in June 2019. The species was also found by M. Eaton at Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, in June 2020, and at Windorah, QLD, in August 2022. M. Eaton also spotted a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo at Renner Springs, NT, in July 2026. M. Mearns found an Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo in Diamantina NP, QLD, in August 2019. In September 2021, M. Eaton found a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo at St. Helens, TAS.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Note the male's reddish iris, on the left, compared to the female's pale iris.

Lateral view of a pair of Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos on the ground; female on the left, male on the right
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

Lateral/near-dorsal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, right, approaching a female - note the different colours of the irises
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

Lateral/dorsal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, front, courting a female - note the different colours of the irises
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

MALE

Near-frontal/ventral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2026]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo defending itself against a White-plumed Honeyeater and a Willie Wagtail
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; note the brownish iris (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Windorah, QLD, August 2022]

Lateral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Renner Springs, NT, July 2026]

Lateral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

Lateral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo being mobbed by White-plumed Honeyeaters
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2023]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]

Near-dorsal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo on a rock, with a clear view of its reddish-brown iris
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, August 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo drying its plumage after a bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo drying its plumage after a bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2019]

Lateral view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo in flight
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2023]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; note the pale iris
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2015]

Near-frontal view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Lateral view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Fogg Dam NR, NT, August 2013]

Lateral view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Diamantina NP, QLD, September 2019]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo on the ground
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

Dorsal view of a female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; note the characteristic rufous sides of the uppertail
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Diamantina NP, QLD, September 2019]

Sex unknown

Three Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos in a dead tree top; two of them were later observed chasing one another
[Narran Lakes NR, NSW, May 2024]

Dorsal view of a Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo looking sideways
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, November 2016]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal/ventral view of a juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo; note the plain colours and the short tail feathers
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Eastlakes Golf Course, Sydney, NSW, December 2012]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo looking towards the observer
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bowra, QLD, October 2012]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bowra, QLD, October 2012]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Jan

Eggs: 1

Incubation period: Shorter than host's

Fledging age: 16 - 18 days

Given the right conditions for their hosts - and depending on geographical latitude - Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos can in principle breed any time of the year.

Juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo begging to be fed by a male Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bowra, QLD, October 2012]

Juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo begging to be fed by a female Splendid Fairy-wren (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bowra, QLD, October 2012]

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

The nest will depend on the chosen host. Above we present a case in which Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos hosted on a pair of Splendid Fairy-wrens.

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 20 x 15 mm

Colour: Creamy, with light-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary

Cuckoos are mostly diurnal birds, but they can often also be found to be active (and calling!) at night, especially near full moon.

Together with other birds marking the boundaries of their territories by calling from vantage points, we noticed that the local Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos, that had been calling strongly before, were quiet for two days during a late cold snap in October 2008.

Lateral/near-dorsal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, right, approaching a female
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, front, courting a female
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

Food, Diet

Like most other small cuckoos, Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoos are insect hunters. They take their prey from the ground.

Female Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo with its prey, a caterpillar (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Knuckey Lagoon, Darwin, NT, October 2019]

Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo taking a caterpillar; the feeding was that good that 4 birds were reluctant to move out of the way of the observer
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, August 2017]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

hrscuck_20170809.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (male)	© MD
hrscuck_20140919.mp3	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (male)	© MD
hrscuck_20170728.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (male)	© MD
hrscuck_20170728_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (male)	© MD
hrscuck_me_20250809.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (male; + Whistling Kite)	© ME
hrscuck_20140919_2.mp3	(NW NSW)	"Chirruping" calls (male)	© MD
hrscuck_20150715.mp3	(NW NSW)	"Chirruping" calls (male display flight?)	© MD
hrscuck_20150913.mp3	(NW NSW)	Various (chasing one another)	© MD
hrscuck_20150913_2.mp3	(NW NSW)	? (chasing one another)	© MD
hrscuck_20150913_3.mp3	(NW NSW)	? (chasing one another)	© MD
hrscuck_20240525.m4a	(NW NSW)	? (chasing one another)	© MD

More Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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