A Visitor to Our School Grounds - Friday 3/2/06

2 Channel-billed Cuckoo juveniles, fostered by a Currawong.

The Channel-billed Cuckoo is the largest parasitic cuckoo in the world. It migrates to northern and eastern Australia from New Guinea and Indonesia between August and October each year and leaves Australia in February or March. It grows to about 58-65cm in length and has a massive, gently down curved bill, grey plumage (darker on the back and wings) and a long barred tail. Channel-billed Cuckoos eat mainly figs and other native fruits.

The females lay one or two eggs in the nests of larger birds such as Magpies, Currawongs or Crows. The young Channel-billed Cuckoo does not evict the host's eggs or chicks as many cuckoos do. Instead it starves out the other chicks by growing faster and demanding all the food.

The call of the Channel-billed Cuckoo is a loud "kawk" followed by a rapid and weaker "awk, awk, awk.." It often calls at night during the breeding season.

Channel-billed Cuckoo call.

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For further information see Liz Mannile, Brad Crossman.