Chrysococcyx osculans
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The black-eared cuckoo (Chalcites osculans) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. Found across Australia, it migrates to eastern Indonesia and southern New Guinea. They are usually observed by themselves or in a pair as they don't raise their own young, rather they leave eggs in another species nest to be raised by host. This species was formerly placed in the genus Chrysococcyx.
Adult weight on average 30 grams (1.1 oz) and are 19 to 20 cm (7.5 to 7.9 in) long, with dull greyish-brown back with distinctive black eye-stripe from the bill to the neck. Rump is pale white and breasts area is pale salmon in colour. Feet and legs are black, eyes are brown, bill is black tail is grey/brown on top, with white tips, while underneath the tail is cream with brownish bars.
What distinguishes it from other small sized cuckoo species in Australia is that it doesn't have a metallic coloured feathers on its back. Juveniles are duller in colour with a more brown eye-stripe. Chicks will give a chirp,
while in adults a descending feeeuw or pee-o-weer call in a lower mournful tone than the Horsfield's bronze cuckoo, which may be a singular or repeated.... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Eared Cuckoo sighting in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 165th most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Eared Cuckoo in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Eared 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.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black-Eared Cuckoo sightings, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Flinders Ranges National Park (Australia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-Eared Cuckoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (7 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.
