The Sahul brush cuckoo, formerly known as the brush cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo family. It is native to Malesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and northern and eastern Australia. It is a grey-brown bird with a buff breast. Its call is a familiar sound of the Australian and Indonesian bush.
Region
Australasia and Malesia
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Indonesia and Malesia through New Guinea and the Bismarck–Solomon region to northern and eastern Australia. It uses a wide range of wooded habitats, including rainforest edges, monsoon forests, mangroves, eucalypt open forests, and secondary growth. Often found along forest margins, riparian strips, and clearings where it can perch and call. In Australia many birds are present in the warmer months and move north after breeding.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Like many cuckoos, the Sahul brush cuckoo is a brood parasite, laying eggs in the nests of smaller passerines such as gerygones and whistlers. Its clear, repetitive whistle is a well-known sound in northern and eastern Australia and parts of Malesia. Subspecies vary subtly in plumage and voice across its wide range, so song is often key for field identification.
Juvenile, SE Qld
Temperament
secretive and often skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with direct, low flights between perches
Social Behavior
Generally solitary outside of the breeding season. As a brood parasite, females quietly watch potential hosts and lay eggs in their nests; males advertise territories with persistent calling. Nests and parental care are provided by host species.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A clear, repetitive series of whistled notes, often accelerating or rising slightly in pitch. Calls carry far and are given from exposed perches at forest edges and along tracks, especially at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Upperparts grey-brown with a slightly warmer tone on the wings; underparts buff to pale rufous with lightly marked or faintly barred breast and flanks. Tail is long with dark bars and noticeable pale to white tips. Juveniles show heavier barring below and more mottling above.
Diet
Feeds mainly on insects and other arthropods, including caterpillars, beetles, mantises, and grasshoppers. It occasionally takes small spiders and other invertebrates. Prey is gleaned from foliage or taken by short sallies from perches.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid to upper strata of forest edges, open woodlands, and along riparian corridors. Frequently uses shaded margins and clearings where prey is abundant.
