Bird
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Cacomantis flabelliformisAlso known as Ash-coloured Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Trench-cuckoo
Fan-tailed cuckoos announce their presence with a mournful, descending trill that rings through open woodlands and dense rainforest margins alike. Specialized predators of hairy caterpillars rejected by most other birds, they strip stinging setae by thrashing prey against tree branches before swallowing. Females are obligate brood parasites, surreptitiously depositing single speckled eggs into the domed nests of fairy-wrens, scrubwrens, and thornbills.
Brood ParasiteInsectivorousWoodland Bird
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyHairy caterpillars, Beetles, Stick insects
Predators
- Pied Currawong
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Brown Goshawk
ThreatsHabitat clearance, severe wildfires, and localized declines of small host songbirds
HabitatsEucalypt forests, temperate woodlands, rainforest margins, and montane scrub
Life span6–10 years
Classification
- OrderCuculiformes
- FamilyCuculidae
- GenusCacomantis
- SpeciesCacomantis flabelliformis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Listen for the call: Locate individuals by tracking their distinctive, mournful downward trill.
- Look at middle storeys: Scan dead branches and utility wires where birds perch motionless while hunting.
Competitor (c) Greg Miles, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Host Species JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Host Species (c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Alan Bell, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alan Bell · cc-by
Same Family (c) Terra Occ, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Terra Occ · cc-by
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