Banded Bay Cuckoo

Scientific Name: Cacomantis sonneratii

Malay Name: Matinak Takuwih

Chinese Name: 栗斑杜鹃

Range: Found from Indian subcontinent to southern China and Southeast Asia

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: sonneratii, waiti, fasciolatus, musicus.

Local Subspecies: sonneratii

Size: 23-24 cm

Identification: Adult has rufescent upperparts with blackish bars, very fine barrings on entire of whitish underparts and broad white supercilium. Juvenile resembles adult but has whitish to pale buff bars on head-sides, crown and mantle.

Similar looking species: Plaintive Cuckoo, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo

Habitat: Forest, forest edge, parks and gardens.

Behaviour/Ecology: Known to brood parasite on Common Iora in Singapore.

Local Status: Common resident

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Central Catchment Forest, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Bukit Batok Nature Park, Lorong Halus, Jurong Eco Garden, Pasir Ris Park, Neo Tiew Lane 2, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Pulau Ubin.

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References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Cacomantis sonneratii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683917A93007354.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.

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