Cuculus pallidus
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The pallid cuckoo (Heteroscenes pallidus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Heteroscenes. It is found in Australia, with some migration to the islands of Timor and Papua New Guinea. It is between 28 and 33 cm (11 and 13 in) in size, with distinctive markings such as a dark bill, a dark eye with a gold eye-ring and olive grey feet which differentiate it from other cuckoos. The pallid cuckoo is similar in appearance to the oriental cuckoo (Cuculus optatus), with barred immature pallid cuckoos being often mistaken for oriental cuckoos.
English ornithologist John Latham described the pallid cuckoo in 1801 as Columba pallida "pale pigeon". Sources differ in the genera placement of this species. It is commonly placed in Cuculus, but genetic evidence and its song support its placement in Cacomantis, with its closest relative the white-crowned cuckoo (Cacomantis leucolophus).
"Pallid cuckoo" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). Other common names include unadorned cuckoo, semitone-bird, scale-bird, and brain-fever bird—from its monotonous repetitive call. Wikipedia →
Recording0:14
Australia · 2024
© honeytoast · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:17
Australia · 2025
© Charley Rayner · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:03
Australia · 2024
© Gemma · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pallid Cuckoo sighting in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 64th most-seen of the 84 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August, October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pallid Cuckoo in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–July, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pallid 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.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Pallid Cuckoo sightings, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pallid Cuckoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (13 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.
