Fan-Tailed Cuckoo

Found in forest and woodland from eastern Australia through New Guinea and parts of the southwest Pacific, this cuckoo is far easier to hear than see, with a mournful, descending series of whistled notes that carries well through dense understory. It is a brood parasite, laying eggs in the nests of small insectivorous birds, and is most vocal and active during the spring and summer breeding season. Patient listening near forest edges, followed by scanning bare branches for a slim, grey bird with a barred underside, is the most reliable approach.