Violet Cuckoo

Overview

The violet cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. As a brood parasite, it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, specifically targeting sunbirds and spiderhunters.

Identification

• Males feature glossy violet head and upper body plumage, a brightly iridescent violet chin and upper breast, and a white belly with broad black, green, or violet bars.
• Mature males possess a red eye-ring, whereas females display mottled, greenish-bronze upper parts, a dark brown crown, and white markings around the eyes.
• Both sexes have a blackish tail with white tips and barred outer feathers; juvenile plumage is characterized by rufous and greenish bronze barring.

Habitat

Found from north-eastern India to Southeast Asia, including the Greater Sundas, Palawan, and the Philippines. It inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland and mangrove forests, as well as gardens, orchards, and rubber plantations up to 1,500 metres, though mainly below 700 metres.

Diet

The violet cuckoo is insectivorous but also consumes fruit. It forages by creeping up and down branches or by flycatching on the wing, and has been observed shaking hairy caterpillars to remove stomach contents before eating.

Did you know?

Although cuckoo chicks typically evict host chicks from the nest, this specific behaviour has not yet been recorded for the violet cuckoo. Hosts often chase adult cuckoos away but fail to recognise the parasitic eggs left behind as aliens.