The pallid cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Heteroscenes. It is found in Australia, with some migration to the islands of Timor and Papua New Guinea. It is between 28 and 33 cm in size, with distinctive markings such as a dark bill, a dark eye with a gold eye-ring and olive grey feet which differentiate it from other cuckoos. The pallid cuckoo is similar in appearance to the oriental cuckoo, with barred immature pallid cuckoos being often mistaken for oriental cuckoos.
Region
Australasia
Typical Environment
Widespread across most of Australia outside the densest rainforests, favoring open woodlands, mallee, acacia scrub, and lightly timbered farmland. It frequents edges, roadlines, and watercourse trees where perches are available. In the dry season it disperses widely and in some years migrates north to New Guinea and Timor. It tends to avoid closed-canopy forests and treeless deserts but will move through these areas during passage.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The pallid cuckoo is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of other birds such as honeyeaters, whistlers, and flycatchers. Its clear, mournful, descending whistle carries over long distances and is often the first sign of its presence. Unlike many songbirds, it does not build its own nest or rear its young. It readily eats hairy caterpillars that many other birds avoid.
Immature pallid cuckoo (Cacomantis pallidus)
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
strong, direct flight with rapid wingbeats and short glides
Social Behavior
Usually encountered alone or as widely spaced individuals. Males sing from exposed perches during the breeding season to advertise territory. A brood parasite, it lays eggs in host nests and the chick typically outcompetes the hosts’ young.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A clear, plaintive, descending whistle repeated at intervals, often rendered as a series of falling notes. Also gives softer piping calls and contact notes.
Plumage
Smooth grey-brown to pallid grey upperparts with pale, lightly washed underparts; tail shows white corners and a darker subterminal band. Immatures are more brown with fine barring below.
Diet
Primarily insects, especially caterpillars (including hairy species), beetles, grasshoppers, and other larvae. It is adept at gleaning from foliage and probing among leaves. It occasionally hawks for flying insects from a perch.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along woodland edges, scattered trees in farmland, and shrublands where it can sally from open perches. Often forages at mid-canopy and in outer foliage, sometimes dropping to the ground to pick prey.
