Moustached Hawk-Cuckoo

Overview

The Hierococcyx vagans is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is classified as a near-threatened species by the IUCN due to ongoing habitat loss.

Identification

• Measures 25–30 cm in length and weighs approximately 58–63 g.
• Features a grey crown and nape, a brown back, and creamy-white underparts with blackish streaks.
• Distinctive white ear coverts accompanied by a prominent blackish moustache.
• Possesses a black beak, orange-yellow feet, and a dark brown or grey eye surrounded by a yellow eye-ring.
• Males sing a repeated 'chu-chu' or 'kang-koh' call every two seconds, along with a whistling 'peu peu' that transitions to 'hi-hi'.

Habitat

Native to southern Myanmar, Thailand, southern Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and parts of Indonesia including Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Java. It inhabits evergreen and secondary forests, forest edges, and alluvial or bamboo forests, particularly on hills at elevations up to 915 m.

Diet

Feeds on insects and small fruits, often observed joining mixed-species foraging flocks within the thick canopy.

Did you know?

The fledgling stage of this bird already displays the distinctive blackish moustache that gives the species its name.