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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Violet Cuckoo	Dark Hawk-Cuckoo
Scientific Name	Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus	Hierococcyx bocki
Order	Cuculiformes	Cuculiformes
Family	Cuculidae	Cuculidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	—
Wingspan	20.1 cm (7.9 in)	35.9 cm (14.1 in)
Weight	22.2 g (0.78 oz)	137.0 g (4.83 oz)
Diet	--	--
Clutch Size	--	--
Population Trend	—	—

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

🌲 Forest

Violet Cuckoo only

🏖️ Coastal

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo only

None

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Song & Call Comparison

Violet Cuckoo

Song

Loud, raucous call with harsh nasal quality; penetrating notes carrying through dense tropical forest.

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo

Song

Loud, raucous call with harsh quality; penetrating notes carrying through dense forest in South Asia.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Violet Cuckoo

Least Concern

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo

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How to Tell Them Apart

Violet Cuckoo

Plumage

Horsfield's Bronze-cuckoo: bronze-green above; white barred below; narrow incomplete bars; reddish eye; Australian species

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo

Plumage

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo: dark brown above; pale below with dense dark barring; hawk-like; long barred tail; yellow orbital ring; dark morph

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About These Birds

Violet Cuckoo

Violet Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus) — 17 cm. Male: entire upperparts rich violet-purple with green gloss; barred white below; yellow-orange bill. Female: bronze-green above. Inhabits lowland and foothill forest from Myanmar through Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines. Brood parasite targeting sunbirds and flowerpeckers. Insectivore.

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo

Dark Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx bocki) — 28–31 cm. Dark grey above; pale below with darker streaking; barred tail. Restricted to montane forest of the Malay Peninsula. Brood parasite. Insectivore. Rare; poorly documented.

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More Birds to Explore

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