Pacific Long-tailed Cuckoo

The Pacific long-tailed cuckoo, known to the Māori as koekoeā, is a striking bird of the Cuculidae family. With a length of 40–42 cm and a wingspan of 47–52 cm, it weighs in at around 120 grams. This bird is characterized by broad, pointed wings and a long, softly rounded tail. Its beak is short and stout with a slightly hooked tip. The plumage features brown barring on the upperparts and dark streaking on white underparts. Both sexes exhibit similar markings, while juveniles are notably different, sporting buff spots and streaks.

Identification Tips

Adults have a dark brown head and hindneck with bold buff streaks. A white supercilium, or eyebrow line, is bordered below by a dark brown eye stripe that extends down the sides of the neck. The upperparts are brown with white spotting on the wings, and the tail is tipped with white. The underbody is white with coarse black-brown streaking. Legs and feet are typically gray to green.

Habitat

The long-tailed cuckoo favors dense native forests with closed canopies, often dominated by beech, broadleaf species, or podocarps. It can also be found in pine plantations, scrub, cultivated land, and suburban gardens. In the Pacific islands, it inhabits lowland forests, gardens, and coconut plantations.

Distribution

This migratory bird breeds exclusively in New Zealand during the warmer months and winters across the southern Pacific islands. Its winter range is vast, stretching from Palau to Pitcairn Island. The species is also found year-round on subtropical islands such as the Kermadec, Norfolk, and Lord Howe groups.

Behaviour

The long-tailed cuckoo is known for its polygamous mating habits, with males attracting females through wing displays and intense calls. They are territorial and vocal, with both sexes exhibiting similar intensity in their calls. As a brood parasite, it lays eggs in the nests of other birds, such as the Mohoua species, and its chicks can mimic the calls of their host's young.

Song & Calls

The bird is known for its loud and intense "shrill whistle," earning it the nickname "screamer."

Breeding

The long-tailed cuckoo does not build its own nest or rear its young. Instead, it lays eggs in the nests of other birds, with the chicks ejecting the host's eggs and being raised by the unsuspecting foster parents.

Diet and Feeding

Primarily insectivorous, the long-tailed cuckoo also consumes bird eggs, nestlings, small adult birds, lizards, and occasionally fruit and seeds. It forages mainly at night and rarely on the ground, preferring the canopy or shrubs.

Predators

In New Zealand, the long-tailed cuckoo faces threats from introduced predators such as rats and stoats.

In Culture

For the Māori, the arrival and departure of the long-tailed cuckoo signal the times to plant and harvest sweet potatoes, respectively.

Conservation Status

The IUCN lists the Pacific long-tailed cuckoo as Least Concern, though it is considered an at-risk species in New Zealand.