Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo

Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Chalcites basalis

Malay Name: Sewah-Daun Australia

Chinese Name: 霍氏金鹃

Range: Breeds in Australia with some population dispersing northwards during the southern hemisphere winter to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Peninsula Malaysia and Singapore.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 16 cm

Identification: Adult resembles female Little Bronze Cuckoo but has prominent dark-brown eyestripe and contrasting white eyebrow that curve down the sides of the neck, faint brownish streaks on throat, bold barrings at flanks, unbarred belly and rufous-chestnut outertail-feathers.

Similar looking species: Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Violet Cuckoo, Little Bronze Cuckoo

Habitat: Secondary growth, open woodland and grassland near the coast.

Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds mainly on caterpillars and insects, gleaned from branches and foliage. Will also forage on the ground.

Local Status: Very rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Featured reports: Jul 2023, Aug 2023, Jul 2024

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo Chalcites basalis
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Peak week May 28-Jun 03
An austral migrant breeding in Australia. Some birds winter in the Lesser Sundas, and even fewer occasionally reach Singapore from Apr to Aug.
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Male Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Piccadilly, Seletar. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Female Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Chalcites basalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683982A93009574.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo. Retrieved on May 12, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/horsfields-bronze-cuckoo.

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