Birds
File:Plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus querulus) female Tonle Sap.jpg

Plaintive Cuckoo

Plaintive Cuckoo

100
9 hours ago
Not yet spotted on Fladder
Spotted
The Plaintive Cuckoo is a small, widespread cuckoo known for its distinctive and melancholic whistling call, which gives it its common name. It is a familiar sound across much of South and Southeast Asia.
Where to spot
Found extensively across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of East Asia, including the Indian Subcontinent, China, and Indonesia. It inhabits open woodlands, scrub, gardens, and cultivation, often near human habitation.
How to spot
Its 'plaintive' call is the best way to locate it. Look for its relatively plain grey and rufous plumage as it perches in open, airy positions within trees or shrubs.
When to spot
Generally observed during the breeding season, which varies geographically but typically occurs during the warmer or wet months when they are most vocal. Some populations are migratory.
File:Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus (female).jpg
File:Plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus querulus) female Tonle Sap.jpg
File:Plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus querulus) female Tonle Sap 2.jpg
File:Plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus querulus) male Tonle Sap.jpg
File:Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus (female).jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus querulus) female Tonle Sap.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus querulus) female Tonle Sap 2.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
File:Plaintive cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus querulus) male Tonle Sap.jpg
Credits: Wikimedia Commons
This species exhibits brood parasitism, laying its eggs in the nests of various small passerines. Young Plaintive Cuckoos often mimic the gape coloration of their host nestlings, further deceiving the parent birds.
Loading...

Spotted

Recently spotted
532 (Seen in the last 3 months)
Last spotted
9 hours ago

Monthly observations

No observations
Loading...
Nothing spotted yet

Also interesting

100

Rufous-throated Bronze-Cuckoo

Cuckoos
File:Blue Coua (Coua caerulea) (9674485646).jpg
100

Blue Coua

Cuckoos
File:Cuculus poliocephalus, Sonitpur, Assam, India 3.jpg
100

Lesser Cuckoo

Cuckoos
File:Neomorphus rufipennis - Jason Fidorra - 320626381.jpeg
100

Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo

Cuckoos
100

Rufous Coucal

Cuckoos
File:Centropus toulou.jpg
100

Malagasy Coucal

Cuckoos
File:Hierococcyx hyperythrus.jpg
100

Northern Hawk-Cuckoo

Cuckoos
File:Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo (Coccyzus pluvialis) (8082121207).jpg
100

Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo

Cuckoos
File:Cercococcyx mechowi - Mulyowa Elly Kasozi - 585015947.jpeg
100

Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo

Cuckoos
File:Running coua (Coua cursor).jpg
100

Running Coua

Cuckoos