Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The violet cuckoo (Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. The males have glossy violet feathers on the head and upper parts of the body. The blackish tail has a white tip, and barred outer feathers. The most spectacular feature is the brightly iridescent violet chin and upper breast. The belly is white with broad black, green or violet bars. Mature males also have a red eye-ring. The closely related species, C. amethystinus has a glossy blue-violet throat patch rather than reddish violet of this cuckoo.
The females have mottled, greenish-bronze upper parts and a dark brown crown. There are white markings around the eyes and sometimes on the forehead. The central tail feathers are greenish while the outer feathers are rufous with greenish bars. The outer rectrices are barred black and white. The breast is whitish with bronze-green bars and variably washed rufous markings.
Juveniles have barred rufous and greenish bronze feathers on the upper parts of the body, a bright rufous crown, rufous and mottled green or brown wings, a barred brown and rufous tail and brown-barred white under parts.
The violet... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 8 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 12 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 13 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 14 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Cuckoo sighting in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, based on 65 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 98th most-seen of the 213 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Cuckoo in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violet Cuckoo sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
5th of 14
Of the 14 parks where we can rate Violet Cuckoo sightings, Khao Sok National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 30%), Sepilok (Malaysia, about 20%) and Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 20%).
Same family: Cuculidae
The closest relatives of the Violet Cuckoo that you can see in Khao Sok National Park (family Cuculidae, Cuckoos) are Greater Coucal (about 40%), Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (about 20%) and Plaintive Cuckoo (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Violet Cuckoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Khao Sok National Park (65 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.
