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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Black-eared Cuckoo
Song
Deep, resonant call with hollow quality; powerful low notes carrying through dense forest in Asia. Vocalization pattern typical of this species in its native habitat.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Conservation Status
Least Concern
Black-eared Cuckoo
Least Concern
Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Black-eared Cuckoo
Plumage
Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo (alt): bronze-green above; narrow white bars below; incomplete barring; reddish eye; typical Australian
Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo
Plumage
Pheasant Coucal: dark glossy black head and body; rufous-brown wings; strongly barred dark tail; reddish eye; terrestrial habits
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Black-eared Cuckoo (Chalcites osculans) — 18–20 cm. Brown above with bronzy wash; distinctive black ear-patch; pale buff underparts with faint barring; white supercilium. Inhabits arid and semi-arid scrubland and mulga of inland Australia. Brood parasite targeting speckled warblers and other scrub-dwelling hosts. Insectivore.
Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo (Neomorphus rufipennis) — 46–50 cm. Bronze-green above; rufous wing panels; pale buff below. Found in humid forest of Venezuela, Guyana, and northern Brazil. Non-parasitic; follows army ants. Insectivore and small vertebrate predator. Rarely encountered; Near Threatened.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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