Shining Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx lucidus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCuculiformes (Cuckoos)
- FamilyCuculidae (Cuckoos)
- GenusChrysococcyx (Emerald Cuckoos and allies)
- SpeciesChrysococcyx lucidus (Shining Cuckoo)
About the Shining Cuckoo
The shining bronze cuckoo or pīpīwharauroa (Chalcites lucidus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae, found in Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. It was formerly placed in the genus Chrysococcyx.
It is a very small cuckoo, being only 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) in length, and parasitises chiefly dome-shaped nests of various Gerygone species, having a range that largely corresponds with the distribution of that genus. It may also parasitise other Acanthizidae species, and is also the most southerly ranging brood parasitic bird species in the world, extending to at least 46°S in New Zealand.
Hard to spot and easier to hear, the shining bronze cuckoo is 13–18 cm (5.1–7.1 in) in overall length, has a wingspan of 25–32 cm (9.8–12.6 in) and weighs around 25 g (0.88 oz). It is slightly larger than Horsfield's bronze cuckoo (Chalcites basalis). It has metallic golden or coppery green upperparts and white cheeks and underparts barred with dark green. The female is similar with a more purplish sheen to the crown and nape and bronzer-tinged barring on the belly. The bill is black and the feet are black with... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Raja Ampat
Little Bronze Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx minutillus
Rusty-breasted Cuckoo
Cacomantis variolosus
Channel-billed Cuckoo
Scythrops novaehollandiae
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
Chestnut-breasted Cuckoo
Cacomantis castaneiventris
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
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Tongariro National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 13 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 15 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 18 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 19 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 20 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 21 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 22 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 23 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |