From Opus

Photo by Mat & Cathy
Holmes Jungle, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, March 2006

Cacomantis variolosus

Includes: Rusty-breasted Cuckoo

[edit] Identification

Male

• Grey-brown upperparts
• Light grey-buff underparts
• Grey head, neck and breast
• White tipped tail barred white underneath
  

Female: two colour morphs

• Unbarred morph

• Similar to male
• Paler buff underneath
• Pale grey barring across chest

• Barred morph - less common

• Streaked/barred upper parts
• Darkly barred underparts
  

Subspecies sepulcralis (Rusty-breasted Cuckoo)
Photo by Romy Ocon
Mount Makiling, Laguna Province, the Philippines, December 2004

Juvenile

• Heavily barred dark brown upperparts
• Mottled and barred underneath

[edit] Distribution

South-east Asia to Australia.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Eleven subspecies are recognized in this species, and some authorities additionally include Moluccan Cuckoo.

• C. v. sepulcralis (Rusty-breasted): Southern Thailand, [[Malay Peninsula, Greater Sundas, Lesser Sundas and Philippines
• C. v. everetti : Sulu Archipelago (Jolo, Basilan, Tawitawi and adjacent islands)
• C. v. virescens: Sulawesi, Butung, Tukangbesi and Banggai Islands
• C. v. infaustus: Northern Moluccas to northern and central New Guinea
• C. v. aeruginosus: Southern Moluccas (Buru, Ambon and Seram) and Sula Islands
• C. v. oreophilus: Highlands of eastern and southern New Guinea
• C. v. blandus: Admiralty Islands
• C. v. macrocercus: Bismarck Archipelago (New Britain, New Ireland and Tabar)
• C. v. websteri: New Hanover (Bismarck Archipelago)
• C. v. addendus: Solomon Islands
• C. v. variolosus: Northern and eastern Australia; winters to Moluccas and New Guinea

sepulcralis (Thailand, Indochina, Philippines, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java) is sometimes accepted as full species, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo.

Immature
Photo by tcollins
Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, July 2006

[edit] Habitat

Coastal mangrove to montane mossy forest up to 2000m. Open woodlands and bushy gardens.

[edit] Behaviour

A secretive species.

[edit] Breeding

This is a brood parasite using , for example, White-throated Honeyeater as host species.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects, especially hairy caterpillars.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Birds in Backyards

• List of references

[edit] External Links