Wildlifeof Bhutan
Himalayan Cuckoo
Cuckoos & Coucals
Photo: Ron Knight · CC BY 2.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Cuculus saturatus
Basic stats
Habitat
Usually above 1,500–3,300m in Kashmir, Myanmar and Nepal; up to 4,500m in south-west China
Range
Breeds from the Himalayas east to southern China and Taiwan; winters in Southeast Asia and the Greater Sundas
Size
30–35cm
Weight
70–140g
The Himalayan cuckoo, or Oriental cuckoo, is a brood parasite breeding from the Himalayas east to southern China and Taiwan, wintering in Southeast Asia and the Greater Sunda Islands. It is 30 to 35cm long and weighs 70 to 140g. The adult male is dark ashy-grey above with a brown, almost black tail, and white with black bars on the lower breast and belly, with a yellow eye-ring (Wikipedia, general species account).
Its call is a high note followed by three lower flat notes, like a hoopoe's but lower-pitched and more muffled, and the female gives a bubbling 'quick-quick-quick'. Breeding in the Himalayan region runs from late April to August in Kashmir and from March to September around Nepal. Like other cuckoos it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Himalayan Cuckoo live in?
- Usually above 1,500–3,300m in Kashmir, Myanmar and Nepal; up to 4,500m in south-west China
- Where is the Himalayan Cuckoo found?
- Breeds from the Himalayas east to southern China and Taiwan; winters in Southeast Asia and the Greater Sundas
- How big is the Himalayan Cuckoo?
- 30–35cm
- How much does the Himalayan Cuckoo weigh?
- 70–140g