Alternative Name: Whistling Hawk-cuckoo
- Hierococcyx nisicolor
Cuculus nisicolor
Identification
28-30 cm.
- Slate-grey upperparts with brownish wings
- Grey and black banded tail with broad black subterminal bar and rufous tip
- Penultimate dark tail-band is narrowest
- White moustache and supraloral area
- Whitish underparts with pale rufous-brown streaks
- Yellow eye-ring
- Small yellow bill with black tip
Sexes similar. Juveniles with buff edged feathers, tail with a broad white tip and streaked and spotted black below.
Distribution
Breeds from Nepal to the eastern Himalayas and Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Hainan (China).
Winters south to Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
Rare in Nepal, uncommon in the rest of its range.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.[1]
It was formerly considered conspecific with Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo, Philippine Hawk-Cuckoo and Northern Hawk-Cuckoo.
Some authorities view Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo as belonging to genus Cuculus.
Habitat
Found in deciduous semi-evergreen and evergreen forest. Also in secondary forest, bamboo thickets and plantations. Breeds from 600 to 1800m in India, up to 1000m in Burma.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects, mainly caterpillars. Takes also fruits and berries.
Forages in bushes and understorey.
Breeding
Breeding season apparently from June to September. A brood parasitic. Known host species in India are Lesser Shortwing and Small Niltava.
Movements
A migratory species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1997. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334221
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Hodgson%27s_Hawk-Cuckoo
