Two songs of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo

I’ve heard Fan-tailed Cuckoos several times over the years, making their pretty downward trilling call. A few days ago, I heard a different call: a haunting, mournful whistle sighing in the mist.

In this 14-second video, the bird whistles five times:

https://youtu.be/v4996-mZlOA

At first I didn’t know what type of bird was calling. Then I saw a Fan-tailed Cuckoo fly onto a nearby branch:

They’re rather pretty birds, with a russet chest and belly, and a startling orange mouth. On this occasion, I could see only the back of the bird. Here’s a picture of another Fan-tailed Cuckoo, which I saw in June 2020:

Shortly after I heard the whistles, the same bird or another started making the typical trilling call that I’ve heard more often. In this 17-second video, the bird calls four times:

https://youtu.be/TVXzdnp2s_U

Common name: Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Scientific name: Cacomantis flabelliformis
Approximate length: 26 cm
Date spotted: 11 May 2025 (autumn)
Location: Manly Creek, New South Wales, Australia: 33°46’21.3″S 151°14’34.8″E

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Mournful whistle of a Fan-tail Cuckoo

YouTube

One of three Fan-tailed Cuckoos that were calling from the front yard just now.

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Fan-tailed Cuckoo - Cuculus flabelliformis

Some species of birds sing only during the breeding season, but this is not strictly true for Fan-tailed Cuckoos. Although their plaintive, descending, trilled calls are most commonly heard in forests and woodlands during the spring and early summer breeding season, they are also occasionally heard at other times of the year — sometimes they even call in winter — though less often. Some populations of the species are migratory, and birds arriving in north Queensland may sometimes be confused with the Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo, an inhabitant of northern tropical forests. (Source: BirdLife Australia)

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