Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo

Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo

Scientific Name: Hierococcyx nisicolor

Malay Name: Sewah-Tekukur Cina Selatan

Chinese Name: 棕腹鹰鹃

Range: Found from Bhutan to northeast India, southern China and Indochina with the northern populations wintering south to Southeast Asia except Philippines.

Taxonomy: Monotypic.

Size: 27-31 cm

Identification: Adult has greyish upperparts, whitish underparts with rufous-washed breast and narrowest penultimate dark tail-band. Juvenile resembles adult but has brownish and obvious rufous-tinged upperparts and breast streaks. Told from similar Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo by narrower penultimate tail band (Malaysian shows even-width tail bands).

Similar looking species: Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo

Habitat: Forest, forest edge, wooded areas, gardens and parks.

Behaviour/Ecology:

Local Status: Uncommon migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Central Catchment Forest, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, former Bidadari Cemetery, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Pasir Ris Park and Tuas South.

Featured reports: Mar 2022, Apr 2022, Nov 2022, Dec 2022, Jan 2023, Feb 2023, Apr 2023, Nov 2023, Dec 2023, Jan 2024, Feb 2024, Mar 2024, Oct 2024, Nov 2024, Dec 2024, Jan 2025, Feb 2025

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx nisicolor
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024
Peak weeks Nov 26-Dec 02, Dec 24-Dec 30
Early date 04 Oct 1996
Late date 15 May 2021
A fairly easy bird to twitch these days, as it tends to spend a while at one location before moving on. Like other cuckoos, often seen at trees with caterpillar infestations.
Juvenile Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo at Tuas South. Photo Credit: See Toh Yew Wai
Juvenile Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo. Photo Credit: Zahidi Hamid
Adult Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo at Bidadari. Photo Credit: Daniel Koh aka Hiker
Juvenile Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo at Bidadari. Photo Credit: Alan Ng
Juvenile Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo at Bidadari. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Juvenile Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo at Bidadari. 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 (Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Hierococcyx nisicolor. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22734046A95072929.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

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

Yong, D. L. (2008). Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo: A Birder’s Nightmare. Singapore Avifauna, 22(1), 12–17.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo. Retrieved on April 15, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/hodgsons-hawk-cuckoo.

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