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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Lesser Cuckoo	Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo
Scientific Name	Cuculus poliocephalus	Neomorphus rufipennis
Order	Cuculiformes	Cuculiformes
Family	Cuculidae	Cuculidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	—
Wingspan	30.8 cm (12.1 in)	34.1 cm (13.4 in)
Weight	51.5 g (1.82 oz)	381.25 g (13.45 oz)
Diet	--	--
Clutch Size	--	--
Population Trend	—	—

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

🌲 Forest

Lesser Cuckoo only

None

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo only

None

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Song & Call Comparison

Lesser Cuckoo

Song

Loud, far-carrying call; penetrating resonant notes given repeatedly from dense African forest canopy.

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

Song

Deep, hollow resonant call; powerful low-frequency sound carrying across dense lowland tropical forest floor.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Lesser Cuckoo

Least Concern

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

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How to Tell Them Apart

Lesser Cuckoo

Plumage

Lesser Cuckoo: gray above; white below with rufous barring; slender; long dark tail; yellow eye-ring; smaller than Common Cuckoo

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 These Birds

Lesser Cuckoo

Lesser Cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus) — 25–28 cm. Grey above; whitish below with black barring; yellow orbital ring; long tail. Migratory; breeds across South and East Asia from Afghanistan to Japan; winters to East Africa and South Asia. Brood parasite targeting warblers. Insectivore.

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

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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More Birds to Explore

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