The pheasant cuckoo is a species of neotropical cuckoo in the subfamily Neomorphinae of the family Cuculidae. It is native to Central and South America where it occurs in lowland tropical forest.
Region
Central and South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Mexico through Central America and widely across northern and central South America, including the Amazon Basin and the Guianas, reaching into eastern Brazil and northern Bolivia. It favors lowland humid tropical forests, tall secondary growth, and forest edges with dense understory. The species is typically found in vine tangles, thickets, and along forest trails, where it forages near the ground. It can persist in moderately disturbed habitats provided sufficient cover remains.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The pheasant cuckoo is a secretive ground-leaning cuckoo that performs a striking display, raising and fanning its long, boldly barred tail while issuing far-carrying whistles. Unlike many Old World cuckoos, it is a brood parasite of Neotropical passerines, laying its eggs in the nests of other birds. It is most often detected by voice rather than seen, as it moves quietly through dense understory.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; low, fluttering flights between cover
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly, moving quietly through dense understory or along the forest floor. It is a brood parasite, placing its eggs in the nests of other birds rather than building its own. Courtship and territorial displays involve tail-fanning, wing-drooping, and conspicuous posturing accompanied by loud whistles.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of clear, far-carrying whistles that rise and fall, often delivered in evenly spaced sequences. During displays, the song can become emphatic and repetitive, with ventriloquial quality that makes the caller hard to locate.
Plumage
Upperparts are brown to rufescent with fine barring; underparts buffy with some dusky barring on the breast and flanks. The long, graduated tail shows bold black-and-white barring that is conspicuous in display. A slight crest can be raised during vocalizations and displays.
Diet
Feeds primarily on large insects such as katydids, crickets, beetles, cicadas, and caterpillars, and will also take spiders and other arthropods. Prey are gleaned from leaf litter, low foliage, and the ground. It occasionally snatches prey flushed by army ants or by its own scratching and hopping through litter. Small vertebrates are rarely taken.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory, vine tangles, bamboo patches, and along quiet forest edges and trails. Often stays close to cover, moving deliberately and pausing to scan for prey.
