Black-eared Cuckoo (Chalcites osculans)

Other Scientific Names
Chalcites osculans [Christidis and Boles (2008)]

Family
Cuculidae (Cuckoos)

Size
19 - 21 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Gould, 1847)

Derivation
Chr�'-so-cocc'-yx - Gk, chrysos, golden; Gk, coccyx, cuckoo: os'-cu-lans - L., kissing

Habitat
Open-forest and heathland.

Range (Guide)

Australia (B) (NB).

Australia.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2011).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Habits
Mostly solitary, but occasionaly in twos or small groups.

Food
Insects, procurred on or near the ground.

Voice
Usually quiet. A descending, 'feeeuw', singly or repeated. Also a loud, 'fee-ew-it, fee-ew-it' or 'fee-ew-eer'. Ocassionally an abrupt, quieter, 'feeit'.

(14Kb) © ? (3)

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (5)...)

Black-eared Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx osculans) [XC383156]
by Peter Boesman from Mount Gibson Sanctuary, Western Australia, Australia (song)

Black-eared Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx osculans) [XC36432]
by Mat & Cathy Gilfedder from Idalia NP, Queensland, Australia (call)

Nest
None. Egg(s) laid in that of the foster parents. The most common species being Redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus) and Speckled Warbler (Pyrrholaemus sagittatus).

Eggs (Guide)
1; dark chocolate, but readily rubbed off; log-oval; about 22 x 14 mm. Incubation is carried out by the species whose nest has been parasitised.

Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 18 days.

Subspecies
No subspecies.

Similar Species
Adult with juvenile Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo (Chalcites basalis) which, depending on the stage of development, has varying degrees of barring on the breast and belly.

References
See References.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9

Files:

JPG files for Black-eared Cuckoo (Chalcites osculans) - 10 files

MP3 files for Black-eared Cuckoo (Chalcites osculans) - 3 files

More Information

BirdLife International

For more information about the Black-eared Cuckoo see... Show Articles

BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Articles about the Black-eared Cuckoo

If you would like to read any articles about the Black-eared Cuckoo...

Show Articles (0)

No Pictures of Black-eared Cuckoo

If Birdpedia has no pictures of Black-eared Cuckoo or you would like to see more, then try the following...

Show External Images from BING

From BING (10)

No Videos of Black-eared Cuckoo

If Birdpedia has no videos of Black-eared Cuckoo or you would like to see more, then try the following..

Show External Videos

From BING (0)

Where can I observe this species?

Select an area (or leave blank) to see locations where this species has been recorded.

Area

All

Optional: Complete the following if you wish to restrict the reserve to within a given distance of a location.

Please enter the Latitude and Longitiude of a given location together with the maximum distance (km) to display a list of reserves within that distance. You must enter a Latitude, a Longitude and a distance greater than 0.

Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or	GPS help

Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or	Find GPS using Google Maps

Distance	Bearing
		Get Sample GPS readings

On What Field Trips was this species observed?

Select an area (or leave blank), and a date range, to see field trips on which this species has been recorded.

Area

All

From	To

Latitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or	GPS help

Longitude: (Decimal degrees takes precedence)

Deg	Min	Sec			Decimal degrees (Include compass setting or value)
				or

Distance	Bearing
		Get Sample GPS readings

Latest Sightings for Black-eared Cuckoo