Rusty-breasted Cuckoo
Cacomantis variolosus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCuculiformes (Cuckoos)
- FamilyCuculidae (Cuckoos)
- GenusCacomantis (Cacomantis Cuckoos)
- SpeciesCacomantis variolosus (Rusty-breasted Cuckoo)
About the Rusty-breasted Cuckoo
The Sahul brush cuckoo (Cacomantis variolosus), formerly known as the brush cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo family. It is native to Malesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and northern and eastern Australia. It is a grey-brown bird with a buff breast. Its call is a familiar sound of the Australian and Indonesian bush.
Eight subspecies are recognised: C. v. major Salvadori, 1880 – north Moluccas (Morotai to Obi Islands) C. v. tymbonomus (Müller, S, 1843) – Rote Island, Timor and Wetar (east Lesser Sunda Islands) C. v. infaustus Cabanis & Heine, 1863 – New Guinea and most satellite islands
C. v. obscuratus Stresemann & Paludan, 1932 – Numfor (Geelvink Bay islands, northwest New Guinea) C. v. variolosus (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) – northeast Western Australia to south Victoria (north, east Australia) C. v. macrocercus Stresemann, 1921 – New Ireland, New Britain and satellites (east Bismarck Archipelago)
C. v. websteri Hartert, EJO, 1898 – New Hanover Island (central north Bismarck Archipelago) C. v. fortior Rothschild & Hartert, EJO, 1914 – D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago (east of southeast New Guinea) The Manus brush cuckoo (Cacomantis blandus) and the Solomons brush cuckoo... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo
Cacomantis castaneiventris
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Scythrops novaehollandiae
Little Bronze Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx minutillus
Lesser Black Coucal
Centropus bernsteini
Greater Black Coucal
Centropus menbeki
Dwarf Koel
Microdynamis parva
White-crowned Koel
Caliechthrus leucolophus
Pacific Koel
Eudynamys orientalis
Oriental Cuckoo
Cuculus optatus
Shining Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx lucidus
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo in Raja Ampat?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo sighting in Raja Ampat, based on 304 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Rusty-breasted Cuckoo in Raja Ampat?
May has the highest sighting rate for Rusty-breasted Cuckoo in Raja Ampat in our monthly data.