Oriental Cuckoo, Wairarapa

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Liam Ballard
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Oriental Cuckoo, Wairarapa

Postby Liam Ballard » Wed Oct 17, 2018 8:22 am

Not my sighting :D ! This just came across my inbox from the ebird alerts. Does anyone have any more information?

https://ebird.org/newzealand/view/checklist/S49234447
Liam Ballard
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sav
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Re: Oriental Cuckoo, Wairarapa

Postby sav » Wed Oct 17, 2018 1:25 pm

Thanks for the heads-up Liam. Let's hope this turns out to be a chaseable Oriental Cuckoo. I must say though, that at first sight it doesnt sound very promising......Oriental Cuckoo is not by any stretch of the imagination "Blackbird-sized" and the chances of one being here in NZ and calling in October are slim to nil. Stranger things have happened though......

cheers
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simon.fordham
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Re: Oriental Cuckoo, Wairarapa

Postby simon.fordham » Wed Oct 17, 2018 1:29 pm

Shining Cuckoo in poor light?
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Oscar Thomas
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Re: Oriental Cuckoo, Wairarapa

Postby Oscar Thomas » Wed Oct 17, 2018 2:02 pm

From the description on NZ Birds Online it sounds pretty good if it was a smaller individual:

The oriental cuckoo is a slender, medium-large cuckoo, about the size of a blackbird. Its proportions and shape are reminiscent of a small falcon. The plumage is variable, either dark grey, or rufous with heavy barring on the back, but all forms have white underparts that are heavily barred with black. All records have been between October and April, which is when oriental cuckoos migrate to Australia between breeding seasons.


Less likely to be a Shining cuckoo if it was near-blackbird size, grey on top, and perched on a fence. Oriental cuckoos are at least twice the size of a Shining and they saw it from 10m away. The call is pretty distinct too but their description does not narrow it down.

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