Fauna
Bird

Shining Bronze Cuckoo

Chrysococcyx lucidus

Also known as Shining Cuckoo, Pīpīwharauroa, Golden Bronze Cuckoo

Shining bronze cuckoos wear iridescent green-bronze backs and crisp black-and-white barred chests, yet they spend most of their time hidden high in leafy canopies. Females are brood parasites that slip a single egg into the domed nest of a smaller songbird, such as a grey warbler or thornbill, leaving the unsuspecting hosts to raise the demanding chick after it ejects their own young. New Zealand breeders undertake a remarkable annual migration over thousands of kilometers of open Pacific Ocean to winter in the Solomon Islands and Bismarck Archipelago.

MigratoryBrood ParasiteInsectivorous
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyHairy caterpillars, Beetles, True bugs
Predators
  • Birds of prey
  • Domestic cats
  • Tree snakes
ThreatsHabitat loss, window collisions during migration, and predation by introduced mammals
HabitatsOpen woodlands, forests, scrublands, parks, and gardens
Life span5–8 years in the wild
  1. FamilyCuculidae
  2. SpeciesChrysococcyx lucidus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Listen First: Follow its rising series of clear whistles, which carry far through the canopy before the bird is seen.
  • Check the Midstory: Scan leafy woodland edges and tall shrubs where it perches quietly between caterpillar hunts.
  • Keep Distance from Nests: Avoid lingering near small domed nests of warblers or thornbills during spring breeding.
Keep collecting in Fauna

Found in Collections

Species set Pro

Backyard Birds

Shining Bronze Cuckoo is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.

Unlock to track progress

Continue in the app
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?

Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.

Checking your Fauna account…