Cuculiformes / Cuculidae / Cacomantis
Plaintive Cuckoo
Cacomantis merulinus · 八声杜鹃
Introduction
A species in the genus Cacomantis within the cuckoo family Cuculidae, native to Asia from India, Nepal, and China to Indonesia. It inhabits forest edges, open woodland, scrub, grassland, farmland, parks, and gardens. The species is a brood parasite, laying eggs in the nests of cisticolas, prinias, and tailorbirds.
Description
Fairly small, measuring about 21–24 cm (8.3–9.4 in) long. The adult male is grey-brown above and orange below with a grey head, throat, and upper breast. Tail feathers have white tips. Legs and feet are yellow, the eye is red, and the bill is black above and yellow below. The adult female is sometimes similar to the male but often occurs in a 'hepatic' morph, which is reddish-brown above with dark bars. Underparts are paler with fainter barring, featuring a pale stripe over the eye and a tail with dark bars along its whole length. Juvenile birds are similar to hepatic females but are paler and have dark streaks rather than bars on the crown and throat.
Identification
The male produces plaintive whistling calls, including an ascending series of three-note phrases and a series of 11 or 12 descending notes. Often difficult to see due to solitary habits.
Distribution & Habitat
Four subspecies exist. The nominate form is found in the Philippines, common on many larger islands. One widespread form occurs in north-east India, Bangladesh, southern China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, acting as a summer visitor to most of its Chinese range and migrating south for winter. Another subspecies is found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, while the fourth occurs in Java, Bali, and Sulawesi.
Behavior & Ecology
Inhabits forest edge, open woodland, scrub, grassland, farmland, parks, and gardens. Feeds on invertebrates. Normally solitary. As a brood parasite, it lays eggs in the nests of cisticolas, prinias, and tailorbirds; the eggs resemble those of the host but are larger. Small birds often mob the cuckoo to drive it away from their nests.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Cacomantis
Vocalizations
Subspecies (4)
-
Cacomantis merulinus lanceolatus
Java, Sulawesi, and Togian Islands (east of Sulawesi)
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
