Urodynamis taitensis
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The long-tailed koel (Urodynamis taitensis), also known as the long-tailed cuckoo, Pacific long-tailed cuckoo, sparrow hawk, home owl, screecher, screamer or koekoeā in Māori, is a species of the Cuculidae bird family (the cuckoos). It is the only species placed in the genus Urodynamis. It is a migratory bird that spends spring and summer in New Zealand, its only breeding place, and spends winter in the Pacific islands. It is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other bird species and leaving them to raise its chicks.
Urodynamis taitensis is most closely related to the channel-billed cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae), which lives in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, according to Sorenson and Payne (2005). Accordingly, it is not part of the Eudynamys genus (the true koels), with which it has previously been placed.
The long-tailed koel is approximately 40–42 cm in length, with a wingspan of approximately 47–52 cm, and weighs about 120 grams. It has broad pointed wings and a long tail that is softly rounded at the tip. Its beak is short and stout with a slightly hooked tip. It has brown barring to brown upperparts, and dark streaking... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Koel sighting in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 48 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Long-tailed Koel in Arthur's Pass National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, June–July and September–October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long-tailed Koel sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Long-tailed Koel sightings, Arthur's Pass National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Fiordland National Park (New Zealand, about 10%) and Rakiura National Park (New Zealand, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long-tailed Koel is recorded against all the birds logged in Arthur's Pass National Park (60 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
