Cuckoo?...or just nuts?

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heva1
heva1's picture
Cuckoo?...or just nuts?

A friend sent this through to me thinking it was a White Throated Tree Creeper, however I think it is a cuckoo....possibly a Shining Bronze-Cuckoo? it was taken in Rutherglen Victoria.

DenisWilson
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HI HEVA
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Looks right for a Shining Bronze-Cuckoo.
Underparts appear to have almost complete barring.
http://photogallery.canberrabirds.org.au/images/Bronze-Cuckoo_Shining_Harris.jpg
Horsefield's Bronze-Cuckoo has an appparent gap in the barring across the abdomen. It also has an apparent eye brow line. See this link: http://photogallery.canberrabirds.org.au/images/Bronze-Cuckoo_Horsfields_Dabb.jpg
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Your image is taken from a low angle and shows the abdomen markings well, but the eye line (or not?) is inconclusive.
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Cuckoos are noisy birds - frequently calling. In this case, the two calls are totally and easily diagnostic, (upward inflected whistle, vs downward inflected whistle) but you do not mention that.
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Because this is a photographic site, primarily, people seldom think to report calls.
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I regularly hear birds, and identify them by call alone.
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To everybody, please think about reporting calls you hear, as well as showing images. I know they are often hard to describe, but in many cases, it makes a hard ID easy to sort out. This would be such a case.
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Cheers
Denis

heva1
heva1's picture

Denis I would normally observe behaviour and calls.... but this was sent by a friend to me... and I wasn't with her at the time the photo was taken, so I have no more information. I did straight away detrmine from the photo it wasn't a treecreeper simply by the fact that it was sitting on a branch and not busily going up and down the trunk of the tree... so I am getting better at ID... even better when I actually see the bird in all it's birdness!

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best

DenisWilson
DenisWilson's picture

Hi Heva
I realised after I sent my comment that you might feel I was being hard on you, as I realised (too late) that it was not your photo.
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I apologise for that.
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I was actually trying to use the two species in question as an example of similar looking birds which are easily separated by call, if people (when observing the bird) think to listen for a call.
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There was another case, a few days ago, when a photo of a Reed Warbler was posted. A bird, sitting in front of a stand of reeds, was thought to be something entirely inappropriate (to that habitat). That also struck me as a case of inexperienced people detaching the image from the REALITY OF THE BIRD IN SITU.
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I am not against inexperienced bird watchers - far from it. I have a memory of being an inexperienced birdwatcher, too.
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What I am trying to do is suggest that bird watching is about OBSERVING ALL THE CLUES NATURE PROVIDES US.
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In this case, it is really easy to tell these birds apart by their call. And being Cuckoos, they are calling nearly all the time.
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Hope my comments inspire, rather than deter you.
That is my intention.
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Cheers
Denis

heva1
heva1's picture

Denis,absolutely no need to apologise, I knew exactly where you were coming from.... and totally agree, ID is much easier the more clues you have to work with... habitat, call, behaviour, whether solitary or in a group, area etc etc.
Yes,as always inspired not deterred!

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best

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