Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae Scientific name definitions

60 cm; male 604 g, female 623 g. The largest brood-parasitic bird. Adult grey above  with black spots, head grey, tail grey with subterminal black band and white tip; light grey below, flanks barred; bill huge, usually described as pale grey, but in fact bicoloured with extensive dark grey base and pale tip; bare skin around eye reddish, iris red, feet grey. Juvenile with head and neck buff, large buff spots on wing, bill dark grey. Distinctive “Southern Cross” silhouette in flight; flies with slow and regular wingbeats.

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Possible breeding population in S New Guinea, where recorded in all months, but no proven data (1 Erritzøe, J., C. F. Mann, F. P. Brammer, and R. A. Fuller (2012). Cuckoos of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 2 Mason, I.J. and Forrester, R.I. (1996). Geographical differentiation in the Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae Latham, with description of two new subspecies from Sulawesi and the Bismarck Archipelago. Emu 96(4): 217–233. Close ).

Breeds in Sulawesi, Buru and Flores, and N & E Australia; rarely occurs in Tasmania. Winters in Moluccas, Lesser Sundas, Aru Is, New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago.

Migratory and seasonal in Australia, where appears first on N coast; passage migrant through Torres Strait. Occurs in Northern Territory Oct–Apr. Rare in Queensland in Sept–Apr, though numbers winter in N Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait region. Occurs in New Guinea in all months, but is not known to breed there; these involve mainly non-breeding birds from Australia. Vagrant S & E to New Zealand and New Caledonia, and N to Philippines (Palawan, Feb 2011; Sulu Is, Aug 2013) (3 Jensen, A. E., T. H. Fisher, and R. O. Hutchinson (2015). Notable new bird records from the Philippines. Forktail 31:24–36. Close ).

Fruit, especially figs; also insects  , including stick insects, beetles and locusts. Young in nest of currawongs (Strepera) are reared on fruit, young in nests of crows (Corvus) are often fed carrion.

Loud, raucous, repeated hoarse “gaak” , also a rapidly repeated high nasal series, and a bubbling trumpeting.

Breeds Feb–Jun in N Sulawesi, Oct–Nov in SE Australia, Nov–Jan in Kimberley Division, Oct–Jan in Queensland. Breeding male presents a large insect to female, then mates with her. Brood-parasitic, with all hosts large passerines, half size to same size as the cuckoo (mean size ranges 39–61 cm): Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) and Flores Crow (C. florensis) in Flores; Slender-billed Crow (C. enca) in Sulawesi; Torresian Crow (C. orru) and other corvids  , Pied Currawong  (Strepera graculina), butcherbirds (Cracticus), Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) and Magpie Lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) in Australia. Eggs  dull white, blotched reddish or brown, 48 mm × 32 mm, 41 mm × 29 mm, similar to those of Strepera graculina; lays 1–5 eggs/nest (2+ in 52% of parasitized nests), often removes, cracks or dents host egg when laying; incubation period unknown. Hatchling naked, skin bronze, mouth pinkish red; unknown if eviction practised, host’s chicks usually disappear from nest, cuckoo may outgrow and crowd out host’s young; more than one cuckoo may fledge from a nest, sometimes young crows fledge also; fledges in 17–24 days. Fledgling’s begging calls like those of host, but louder and more raucous. A captured crow-reared fledgling remained with its human “fosterer” for 30 days, flying free and returning to be fed.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Uncommon in much of its range in Australia, and scarce in Northern Territory. Abundant in New Britain in winter. Noisy and conspicuous in Dumoga Valley, N Sulawesi, Feb–Jun, but rare or absent at other times.