The shining bronze cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae, found in Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. It was formerly placed in the genus Chrysococcyx.
Region
Australasia and southwest Pacific
Typical Environment
Breeds widely across southern and eastern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, with non-breeding populations extending to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. Occupies open forests, eucalypt woodlands, coastal scrub, and forest edges, and readily uses parks and large gardens. Often selects habitats where host species are common. In the tropics it frequents forest margins and secondary growth. It is more often detected by voice from the mid to upper canopy than seen on the ground.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Other
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small, metallic-green cuckoo, it is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of small passerines such as thornbills, gerygones, and silvereyes. It specializes in eating hairy and sometimes toxic caterpillars and can regurgitate pellets to shed indigestible hairs. Its clear, high-pitched descending whistles are often heard before the bird is seen. It migrates seasonally, breeding in temperate Australasia and wintering farther north in the Pacific and New Guinea.
In Brisbane
in New Zealand
Dark shining bronze cuckoo egg in a clutch from the fan-tailed gerygone
A juvenile shining cuckoo being fed by a grey warbler
Young shining bronze cuckoo with caterpillar, Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve, Canberra
Temperament
secretive but vocal
Flight Pattern
strong direct flight with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Largely solitary outside of breeding, spending much time foraging quietly in the canopy. It is an obligate brood parasite, depositing single eggs in host nests and leaving the hosts to rear the chick. Breeding occurs in spring–summer in temperate regions, with courtship centered on vocal displays and brief pursuits.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Song is a series of clear, high, descending whistles, often repeated persistently from a concealed perch. Calls can be piercing and far-carrying, aiding detection in dense foliage.
Plumage
Glossy bronze-green upperparts with a metallic sheen; underparts white to pale with narrow dark green bars. Tail is dark with pale tips; wings show bronzy tones. Fine barring extends across the throat and breast.
Diet
Primarily consumes insects, especially caterpillars, including hairy and toxic species that many birds avoid. Also takes beetles, bugs, and spiders gleaned from leaves and branches. It can process noxious prey by removing or regurgitating indigestible hairs in pellets.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid to upper canopy of forests, woodland edges, and scrub. Frequently hunts along sheltered edges and in gardens with mature trees. Will sally short distances to snatch prey but mainly gleans from foliage.
