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

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 2013 to Jun 2023
Peak week 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 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
Adult Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo at Bidadari. Photo Credit: Daniel Koh aka Hiker
Juvenile Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo at Tuas South. Photo Credit: See Toh Yew Wai
Juvenile Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo. Photo Credit: Zahidi Hamid

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 November 21, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/hodgsons-hawk-cuckoo.

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