Centropus phasianinus
The Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinus) is a large, terrestrial cuckoo species endemic to Australia and New Guinea, notable for its distinctive pheasant-like tail and unique breeding biology. Measuring 50-70 cm in length and weighing 200-500g, it displays marked seasonal plumage variations. In breeding plumage, adults are predominantly dark and glossy, featuring a blackish head, body, and tail, with prominent rufous primary flight feathers, and striking red eyes. Non-breeding plumage is m...
Primarily inhabits dense, often moist, vegetated areas such as tall grasslands, cane fields, swamps, thickets, and forest edges, from sea level up to moderate elevations.
Omnivorous, preying mainly on large insects like grasshoppers, caterpillars, and beetles, along with spiders, snails, small reptiles, frogs, eggs, and nestlings, occasionally supplementing with seeds or fruits. Forages by walking on the ground, probing vegetation, and gleaning.
Pheasant Coucals are predominantly diurnal and highly secretive, spending most of their time on the ground, scurrying through dense vegetation to avoid detection and for foraging. They roost in thick bushes or low trees, often camouflaged by their streaked non-breeding plumage. Foraging involves ...
The Pheasant Coucal boasts a widespread and stable distribution across northern and eastern Australia, encompassing coastal and sub-coastal regions, as well as the inland margins of the Great Dividing Range. Its range extends northwards into New Guinea and includes several satellite islands, such...
Least Concern
- The Pheasant Coucal is one of the rare cuckoo species that doesn't lay its eggs in other birds' nests; it builds its own and raises its young. - Unlike most bird species, female Pheasant Coucals are typically larger and often more brightly colored than the males. - They exhibit a polyandrous ma...