I've seen this bird twice now but haven't been able to get a good look at it. Recently heard Boobook owl at night which has similar colouring, but this has a long tail. Anyone know what it could be? Sorry about the photo, but have tried to get a pic both times I saw it without luck. At least you can see the speckled markings, and the very long tail.
Pheasant Coucal?
Yes I think Pheasant Coucal what area was it in?
Thank you both for replying. I'm in Logan, SE Qld. I live in a normal suburban yard, and have never seen these before. But the sightings were a pair about 2 weeks ago, and today just this one. The colours are much lighter than they seem in this pic, like a tawny and white speckle.
Its interesting as I've never heard Boobook owls here before either. Now two new types of birds show up at the same time. I'm inclined to think this one is a pheasant coucal because of the tail. This and the owl are similarly marked, making it confusing when I just see a flash of colour going by.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
Perhaps it's' simply random appearances of these birds, Karen, but could there be other reasons for these two species turning up?
Yep, pheasant coucal for sure.
We used to call them the "Whoop whoop bird" because of their far-reaching and distinctive "whooop whooop whooop whooop" call.
Cheers
Tim
Brisbane
I don't know of any reason for these birds to turn up but the coucals don't have adult colouring yet, and it seems the boobook doesn't have a mate yet (by his calls at night, he seems to be searching hard enough). So they could just be young birds looking for new territory. I don't envy them trying to survive around here though with the dogs, cats, and kids taking pot shots at anything that moves, and raiding nests. The tawny frogmouths seem to have survived though, so who knows?
Karen
Brisbane southside.
Yes, that's an interesting thought, Karen. They could well be juveniles seeking new territory. If they are it suggests the value of providing habitat for birds so that species can extend their ranges into places they may have once inhabited.
Woko, I do agree and wish I had more than a suburban backyard to offer the wildlife, which has a dreadful time just trying to survive as it is.
Karen
Brisbane southside.
Ah, Karen, we can only work within the limits of our resources. Once we've done that we can be satisfied we've done our utmosts.