Pheasant Coucal

Description:

A large 'pheasant-like', ground-dwelling cuckoo, the Pheasant Coucal has a long tail and short rounded wings. In its breeding plumage, it has a black head, neck and underbody with the upperparts and wings reddish-brown with black and cream barring and the black tail is barred orange. Out of breeding, the head and back return to a reddish chestnut colour and the underparts are cinnamon brown, with all streaked boldly white. The eye is red. Sexes are similar in plumage, but females are larger than males.

Habitat:

Running around in my front yard chasing grasshoppers to feed the two young ones.

Notes:

This is the spotting of one of the young ones: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/144... Interesting fact: This is the only member of the cuckoo family that actually builds its own nest and raises its own young! My partner and I were sitting in the loungeroom and could hear this incessant hissing sound. Eventually I got up to look out of the window and there was an adult with two young! I watched the adult run around and catch grasshoppers and feed them! I'm not sure if the adult was a male or female. First reference for identification: The Michael Morcombe eGuide to Australian Birds, Mobile App. Reference: http://birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/phea...