Channel-Billed Cuckoo

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JessMess
JessMess's picture
Channel-Billed Cuckoo

I heard a huge raucous and raced outside with the camera. There were three Channel-Billed Cuckoos flying together in the distance! I've only ever seen them solo.

One dropped off and it seemed like the second was chasing the third.

I managed a pretty zoomed in and largely cropped photo. Definitely not the best photo, but it's one at least!

rawshorty
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3? I have not even seen onefrown

Shorty......Canon gear

Canberra

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/ 

richman

There are a number of them hanging around St Leonards Park in North Sydney. They not only get attacked by any birds in the vicinity but they seem to attack each other or at least chase each other around through the neighborhood, squawking loudly all the way. Once they start up though it sets all the other birds off and you get all the noisy mynahs, cockatoos and lorikeets screeching at the top of their little lungs. Rather noisy.

windshear
windshear's picture

There were four near my work in Brisbane, and have been in the area for a few weeks. Was quite a surprise for me to see them there. Yeah, they're not the most popular of birds, but I guess you get that sort of reaction when you're a cuckoo the size of a bird of prey.

ozplant

6 Channel Bills in my area. I regurally see 4 birds in a group flying and calling early mornings and late afternoons before returning to their roost areas (almost Daily). Not sure if the group fly and call is to flush out nesting birds to locate nests? Quite often they will stop and rest in a large tree before continuing their normal flight patern. The group here seem to have a definate flight path.

wendy
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i have just seen one of these birds at simpsons falls in mt coot-tha, brisbane. AMAZING! i had to tell someone so i signed up here. i am new to bird watching/identification but this curious bird definitely makes me want to search for more :)

windshear
windshear's picture

Wendy - that's great! :) You have to start somewhere! smiley

WhistlingDuck

Thats a good sighting to start with Wendy.  I have seen one yesterday in Parramatta Park in sydney, and a couple of weeks ago I saw two in Ryde. A Currawong and Willie Wagtail had joined forces to try to drive one of them out of a tree - only time i have seen a Currawong and Willie Wagtail in agreement about anything!

Woko
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Wendy, welcome to the wonderful world of birding. You're just entering a whole new universe. You'll be visiting places you've never heard of and seeing creatures you never knew existed.

wendy
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thank you guys for your friendly comments :) looking forward to reading the forums and seeing some more amazing birds!

ruthkazadi@gmail.com
Ruth Kazadi's picture

The two channel bird cuckoos being fed by a pair of weary currawongs left yesterday! Yay - now for some peace. A couple of cool nights in the Blue Mountains and they are nowhere to be found. Isn't it early for them to leave?

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