Pheasant Coucal

Damn I missed this super spotting. Congratulations Peter. Not too sure about your description though. :-)

wow, it has become such a beauty!!! :)
Good luck with finding your inner pheasant!!

Hi, Petet, a couple of suggestions for the future.
When you have a new set of pictures for a new day you can make a separate spotting if you wish and link between the spottings.
When this story is finished you may wish to write a blog about it and send it to karen@projectnoah.org

New photo, chick has most of its feathers. It likes to run around and chase my feet. I am attempting to teach it how to hunt. A very frustrating process. I must search and find my inner Pheasant for this to be successful.

Congratulations on a cute little bird for SOTD!

Congratulations on SOTD, peter.winters.
Such a cute chick, love it's little feet with the large nails, I am happy it is doing fine, please keep us updated, Thank you for sharing.

Very nice spotting Peter,super cute,congrats on the SOTD and thanks for sharing

Congrats on SOTD!

Congratulations on the SOTD ! :)

Congratulations!

Congratulations on your SOTD Peter

Congratulations!

Congratulations on Spot of the day.

congrats Peter!!Nice!!

Congrats Peter! love it!

Wow! Quick work on your first Spotting of the Day, Peter. Congratulations!

Sounds like you're doing all the right things peter. Grasshoppers, and other insects with hard exoskeletons are necessary gut clearers for soft bill (insectivore) bird species. Good luck, and keep us updated.

Saw a female Pheasant coucal up in the Daintree. Striking bird.

Congrats Peter, your adorable little patient has been chosen as Spotting of the Day!

The pheasant coucal is unusual among cuckoos as it raises its own young instead of laying its eggs in other birds’ nests.

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For emergency baby bird food - dry kitten food soaked in water works pretty well for most hardy bird species. Sorry to say I forget the ideal brand, but be sure the first ingredient is meat and that it has a high protein content (this is assuming the bird is an insectivore). I used the cap of a water bottle and put a few pieces of kitten food in it, then added just enough water for the pieces to become soft and spongy after soaking for an hour or so. Mash the soaked kitten food up, then use a small object to feed the bird, such as tweezers with rounded tips (or something similar that has no rough edges which can cut, poke, splinter or otherwise harm the bird's fragile mouth or throat.). Mix another batch up while feeding - they need a lot of small meals throughout the day. The bird will usually know how much to eat, but you'll learn his habits quickly. One trick I learned is to gently tap the edge of his nest area while the baby is sleeping and see if he pops his head up for food - kind of like when the mother lands on the nest, it surprises the baby and triggers a feeding response. Do plenty of research, and check your local laws too..

It's so good to hear that you're taking such a great care of it!!! :)
Best of luck!!! :))

I found some recordings online, so I play these on my laptop when I can. The chick stops and listens very carefully. Then it starts a small chirp. I assume it is calling its Mother and Father.

This chick is surviving happily. We have built a nest using grass and dried leaves, inside a plastic bowl. Which resembles what you'd find in the wild. We keep a small light bulb under the at night to ensure it is kept warm. We are feeding it crushed chicken neck (good source of calcium) and raw mince. Will try to catch a few grasshoppers to vary its intake. I have started to exercise the chicken by letting it hold my finger and carefully moving up and down so it extends its wings to remain balanced. So far it is looking promising that it will survive. Hopefully we can let the chick go once it gets feathers, which is a normal outcome for chicks in the wild.

wow !!!!!! so cute.....

So Cute !

Great spotting - who is rehabbing him/her?