Pavonine Cuckoo vs Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

Dromococcyx pavoninus compared with Neomorphus rufipennis

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Pavonine Cuckoo Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo
Scientific Name Dromococcyx pavoninus Neomorphus rufipennis
Order Cuculiformes Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae Cuculidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Least Concern
Length
Wingspan 25.6 cm (10.1 in) 34.1 cm (13.4 in)
Weight 47.25 g (1.67 oz) 381.25 g (13.45 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size -- --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Pavonine Cuckoo only

None

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo only

None

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Song & Call Comparison

Pavonine Cuckoo

Song

Loud, emphatic crowing call with harsh quality; resonant notes carrying well across open tropical forest edge.

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

Pavonine Cuckoo

Least Concern

Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo

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How to Tell Them Apart

Pavonine Cuckoo

Plumage

Lesser Ground-cuckoo: rufous below; brown-barred above; blue orbital ring; long tail; ground-dwelling neotropical cuckoo; yellow eye

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

Pavonine Cuckoo

Pavonine Cuckoo (Dromococcyx pavoninus) — 26–30 cm. Rufous-brown above; barred tail; whitish underparts; bare facial skin. Inhabits humid Amazonian and Atlantic forest understorey from Venezuela south to Argentina. Brood parasite; crepuscular. Insectivore. Resembles Pheasant Cuckoo but smaller with distinctive peacock-eye tail spots when spread.

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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