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13

Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo

(Chalcites [Chrysococcyx] basalis)
Alternate name(s): "Narrow-billed Bronze-Cuckoo", "Rufous-tailed Bronze-Cuckoo"
Aboriginal name(s): "djorit*" (WA)

Size: 14-17 cm
Weight: 17-32 g

Similar
species

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

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

MALE

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; note the brownish iris
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, December 2016]

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]

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]

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]

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

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

Dorsal view of a juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo - this bird was found being fed by a female Rufous Songlark; if our idenfication of the adult bird is correct, this is the first documented case of an Horsfield Bronze-Cuckoo hosting on Rufous Songlarks (click on image to see an adult Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo that was found at the same time and location)
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, November 2016]

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: ? Mobility: Migratory Elementary unit: Solitary

Cuckoos are mostly diurnal bird species, but can often also be found to be active at night, especially near full moon.

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

Male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, right, approaching a female
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

Male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, right, approaching a female
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

Male Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo, front, courting a female
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

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_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

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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