Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Fan-tailed CuckooFan-tailed CuckooFan-tailed CuckooFan-tailed Cuckoo

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

Cacomantis flabelliformis

Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Kosciuszko National Park
350 Verified sightings at Kosciuszko National Park From 2019 to 2026
4,112 Verified sightings across all 16 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Fan-tailed Cuckoo

The fan-tailed cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Six subspecies have been recognised:

Cacomantis flabelliformis excitus (Rothschild & Hartert, 1907) – Mountains of New Guinea. Cacomantis flabelliformis flabelliformis (Latham, 1802) – Eastern Australia from Cape York through to southern South Australia; south-western Western Australia.

Cacomantis flabelliformis meeki (Rothschild & Hartert, 1902) – Solomon Islands including Santa Isabel, Kolombangara, Guadalcanal and Bellona. Originally designated Cacomantis meeki. Cacomantis flabelliformis pyrrhophanus (Vieillot, 1817) – New Caledonia including the Loyalty Islands.

Cacomantis flabelliformis schistaceigularis (Sharpe, 1900) – Vanuatu. Cacomantis flabelliformis simus (Peale, 1848) – Fiji. The fan-tailed cuckoo is about 25–27 cm (9.8–10.6 in) long. The fan-tailed cuckoo has a slate-grey head, back and wings, rufous underparts and barred black and white tail. Its eye is surrounded by a yellow orbital eye ring which helps to distinguish it from the smaller and paler brush... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Kosciuszko National Park

Rusty-breasted Cuckoo
LC

Rusty-breasted Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cacomantis variolosus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Shining Cuckoo

Shining Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chrysococcyx lucidus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo

Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chrysococcyx basalis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pacific Koel
LC

Pacific Koel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Eudynamys orientalis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pallid Cuckoo

Pallid Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cuculus pallidus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Channel-billed Cuckoo
LC

Channel-billed Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Scythrops novaehollandiae

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Maria Island National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~40%
2 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
3 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
4 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
5 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
6 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
7 Grampians National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
8 Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
9 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
10 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
11 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
12 Freycinet National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
13 Flinders Chase 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
14 Flinders Ranges National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
15 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
16 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Fan-tailed Cuckoo in Kosciuszko National Park?

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Fan-tailed Cuckoo sighting in Kosciuszko National Park, based on 350 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Fan-tailed Cuckoo in Kosciuszko National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Fan-tailed Cuckoo in Kosciuszko National Park in our monthly data.

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