Scientific Name: Cacomantis merulinus
Malay Name: Matinak Biasa
Chinese Name: 八声杜鹃
Range: Found from the north-eastern India to Bangladesh, southern China and Southeast Asia
Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: querulus, threnodes, lanceolatus, merulinus.
Local Subspecies: threnodes
Size: 21.5-23.5 cm
Identification: Adult resembles Rusty-breasted Cuckoo but has greyish eyering, head, throat and upper breast with remaining underparts peachy-rufous throat. Juvenile resembles Rusty-breasted Cuckoo but has greyish eyering and finer blackish barrings on underparts.
Similar looking species: Banded Bay Cuckoo, Sunda Brush Cuckoo
Habitat: Forest, forest edge, mangroves, parks and gardens.
Behaviour/Ecology: Known to brood parasite on Ashy Tailorbirds 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, former Bidadari Cemetery, Chinese/Japanese Gardens, Lorong Halus, Punggol Barat, Jurong Eco Garden, Tampines Eco Green, Pasir Ris Park, Neo Tiew Lane 2, Tuas South and Pulau Ubin.
- My Accidental Sprint Year (Blog)
- Local extinctions of Singapore birds (Science)
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Plaintive Cuckoo)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Cacomantis merulinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22683923A93007953.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.). Plaintive Cuckoo. Retrieved on October 31, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/plaintive-cuckoo.