Chrysococcyx basalis
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Horsfield's bronze cuckoo (Chalcites basalis) is a small cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. Its size averages 22 g (0.78 oz) and is distinguished by its green and bronze iridescent colouring on its back and incomplete brown barring from neck to tail. Horsfield's bronze cuckoo can be distinguished from other bronze cuckoos by its white eyebrow and brown eye stripe. The Horsfield's bronze cuckoo is common throughout Australia preferring the drier open woodlands away from forested areas. This species was formerly placed in the genus Chrysococcyx.
The Horsfield's bronze cuckoo is one of five Australian species in the genus Chalcites (formerly Chrysococcyx) a type of parasitic bird, that parasitizes fairy-wrens primarily to raise their young. The main diet of the Horsfield's bronze cuckoo is insects and they are nomadic, travelling to different regions of Australia to breed and find food. Small insects are taken from leaves, branches, caught on the wing and in breeding season, Horsfield's bronze cuckoos feed each other in a courtship ritual.
The Horsfield's bronze cuckoo is known as a brood parasite, this means that they lay their eggs in a host species... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 15 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo sighting in Flinders Chase on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 66th most-seen of the 68 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo in Flinders Chase on a given day, against under 5% in March–July, October and December–January, the lowest months. August has too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo sightings, Flinders Chase ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Flinders Chase (6 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.
