Rusty-breasted Cuckoo
Rusty-breasted CuckooRusty-breasted CuckooRusty-breasted CuckooRusty-breasted Cuckoo

Rusty-breasted Cuckoo

Cacomantis variolosus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Sepilok
27 Verified sightings at Sepilok From 2019 to 2026
1,425 Verified sightings across all 26 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 Sepilok

Plaintive Cuckoo
LC

Plaintive Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cacomantis merulinus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Banded Bay Cuckoo
LC

Banded Bay Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cacomantis sonneratii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Raffles's Malkoha
LC

Raffles's Malkoha

🌙 Nocturnal Bird

Rhinortha chlorophaea

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Greater Coucal
LC

Greater Coucal

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Centropus sinensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Violet Cuckoo
LC

Violet Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Indian Cuckoo
LC

Indian Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cuculus micropterus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Asian Drongo-Cuckoo
LC

Asian Drongo-Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Surniculus lugubris

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Red-billed Malkoha
LC

Red-billed Malkoha

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zanclostomus javanicus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Lesser Coucal
LC

Lesser Coucal

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Centropus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Little Bronze Cuckoo

Little Bronze Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chrysococcyx minutillus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Short-toed Coucal
VU

Short-toed Coucal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Centropus rectunguis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo

Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo

Bird

Cuculus fugax

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

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 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
2 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~20%
3 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
4 Springbrook National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
5 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
6 Kosciuszko National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
7 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
8 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
9 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
10 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
11 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
12 Nitmiluk National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
13 Lamington National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
14 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
15 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
16 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
17 Blue Mountains National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
18 Great Otway National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
19 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
20 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
21 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data
22 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
23 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
24 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data
25 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
26 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo in Sepilok?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty-breasted Cuckoo sighting in Sepilok, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Rusty-breasted Cuckoo in Sepilok?

March has the highest sighting rate for Rusty-breasted Cuckoo in Sepilok in our monthly data.

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