Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Brush Cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus) - HBW 4, p. 560
French: Coucou des buissons
German: Buschkuckuck
Spanish: Cuco Varioloso
Other common names: Square-tailed/Grey-headed Cuckoo; Rufous-breasted Brush Cuckoo (lepidus); Indonesian/Rusty-breasted (Brush) Cuckoo (sepulcralis)
Taxonomy: Cuculus variolosus Vigors and Horsfield, 1827, Paramatta, New South Wales.
Sometimes placed in Cuculus. Form sepulcralis (incorporating everetti, virescens, aeruginosus, infaustus) is often treated as a distinct species on grounds of claimed morphological and vocal differences; sometimes reckoned to be closer to C. merulinus. Several additional island races have been described, but are nowadays considered invalid. Eleven subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- sepulcralis (S. Müller, 1843) - S Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia through Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and Philippines to Lesser Sundas (Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba).
- everetti Hartert, 1925 - SW Philippines (Basilan and Sulu Is).
- virescens (Brüggemann, 1876) - Sulawesi.
- sepulcralis (S. Müller, 1843) - S Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia through Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and Philippines to Lesser Sundas (Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba).
- everetti Hartert, 1925 - SW Philippines (Basilan and Sulu Is).
- virescens (Brüggemann, 1876) - Sulawesi.
- aeruginosus Salvadori, 1878 - W & C Moluccas (Sula, Buru, Ambon, Seram).
- infaustus Cabanis & Heine, 1863 - N & E Moluccas (Morotai, Tidore, Ternate, Halmahera, Bacan, Obi, Seram Laut, Watubela, Kai), New Guinea and islands to NE.
- oreophilus Hartert, 1925 - highlands of E & S New Guinea.
- blandus Rothschild & Hartert, 1914 - Admiralty Is.
- macrocercus Stresemann, 1921 - Bismarck Archipelago (except New Hanover), Tabar I.
- websteri Hartert, 1898 - New Hanover.
- addendus Rothschild & Hartert, 1901 - Solomon Is.
- variolosus (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) - N & E Australia; winters N to Aru Is, Kai Is, Moluccas, New Guinea, W Papuan islands and Lesser Sundas (Timor, Kisar).
- Least Concern Enlarge map
-
Single bird singing in the garden on a very dull-day. Locality Kobble Creek, Queensland, Australia (ssp variolosus)
Tom Tarrant 24 November 2007 3 years ago 36 sec 4 -
A bird on a branch and flying away Locality Tambun, Dumoga Bone (Bogani Nani Wartabone) National Park, North Sulawesi, Sulawesi (ssp virescens)
Josep del Hoyo 5 August 2007 4 years ago 34 sec 3.7 -
A bird in a tree, preening and scratching the head. Locality Biak Island, Biak (Schouten) Islands, Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua (Indonesia), New Guinea (ssp infaustus)
Josep del Hoyo 14 July 2008 3 years ago 36 sec 3 -
A bird in a bush, singing. Locality Biak Island, Biak (Schouten) Islands, Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua (Indonesia), New Guinea (ssp infaustus)
Josep del Hoyo 14 July 2008 3 years ago 38 sec 2.8 -
An adult calling Locality Rush Creek, Queensland, Australia (ssp variolosus)
Tom Tarrant 31 August 1998 6 years ago 35 sec 2.7 -
An adult calling Locality Samsonvale, Queensland, Australia (ssp variolosus)
Tom Tarrant 31 December 1995 7 years ago 30 sec 2.4
-
Rusty-breasted Cuckoo (Cacomantis sepulcralis)
Locality Kuala Selangor, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia (ssp sepulcralis)
Kilian Wasmer 1 January 2010 37 weeks ago 3.7 -
A singing bird perched in a roadside tree.
Locality Halmahera, Maluku Islands (Indonesia) (ssp infaustus)
David Beadle 20 October 2011 7 weeks ago 3.4 -
Adult resting after meal of hairy-caterpillars.
Locality Dayboro, Queensland, Australia (ssp variolosus)
Tom Tarrant 13 January 2003 3 years ago 3.3 -
A singing bird perched in a tree.
Locality Tangkoko National Park, North Sulawesi, Sulawesi (ssp virescens)
David Beadle 14 October 2011 7 weeks ago 3.2 -
Sitting quietly on a branch at Yellow Waters
Locality Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia
Lindsay Hansch 17 July 2008 51 weeks ago 3 -
This individual fledgling’s behaviour was a basis for the first description of begging behaviour in this species (Grim 2008, Wil
Locality Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore (ssp sepulcralis)
Tomas Grim 11 August 2007 26 weeks ago 2.5
-
A bird singing. Locality Alor, Lesser Sundas
(ssp sepulcralis)
Josep del Hoyo 23 October 2011 9 weeks ago 4.7 -
A bird singing. Locality Mount Austen, Guadalcanal Island, Guadalcanal Province, Solomon Islands
(ssp addendus)
Josep del Hoyo 22 September 2010 1 year ago 4 -
thrill Locality Kiunga, Papua New Guinea (mainland), New Guinea
dreyernp 23 July 1990 1 year ago 4 -
A bird singing against 2 other birds Locality Tabubil, Papua New Guinea (mainland), New Guinea
Keith Blomerley 24 August 2008 2 years ago 4 -
A bird calling. Locality Alor, Lesser Sundas
(ssp sepulcralis)
Josep del Hoyo 23 October 2011 9 weeks ago 3.7 -
Four notes by an individual (repetead twice). Locality Henuamagaa, Makira (San Cristobal) Island, Makira-Ulawa Province, Solomon Islands
(ssp addendus)
Josep del Hoyo 25 September 2010 1 year ago 3.5
Email this page