White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina papuensis)

The good-looking White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike (Coracina papuensis) is a medium-sized slender bird that resembles Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes in flight, feeding, and preferred habitat. It is endemic to Australia and belongs to the family Campephagidae. Since they are smaller, they probably coexist with them by taking smaller prey items. The White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes tend to be solitary and gather in compact groups of three to five.

Habitats – There are several types of habitats for white-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes in Australia: open eucalypt forests, savannas, rainforests, littoral forests, riparian forests, river redgum bushland, mangroves, grasslands, coconuts, plantations, farmlands, suburban gardens, woodlands. They avoid colder mountain areas only. In both shrubbery and canopy, they forage by flying from perches into the forest in mid-stage, diving on bugs and fruit in foliage crevices and bark crevices.

Food – White-bellied Cuckoo-shrikes are usually found on high branches, but they can also be found occasionally on shrubs where they find suitable food. Arthropods and fruits are the main food sources, but seeds and nectar are also taken. There are many insects in its diet, including dragonflies, cockroaches, mantids, grasshoppers, bugs, beetles, stick insects, lepidopteran larvae, ants, wasps, and spiders.

Flight – During the flight, the bird alternates brief bursts of flapping with long, curving glides; upon landing, they settle their wings by flicking one, then the other.

Call – It is common for members of groups to contact one another frequently. Usually, their distinctive sound is the first thing that alerts people to their presence. White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike characteristic call is shrill kiseek, often in flight. It also makes other churring sounds. This cuckoo also makes a sound that is weak, squealing, slurred, repeating ‘whee-eeyu’ or ‘wee-year’ that has been likened to that of a parrot.

Races – The White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike has three subspecies in Australia. There is one white-breasted bird in the northwest to the east of the Gulf of Carpentaria, with immaculate young. There is another species from Torres Strait and the Cape York Peninsula south to about the Burdekin River, Queensland, which is greyer white-breasted and has finely bar-breasted juveniles. The third species are found southwest of the Burdekin, which is larger, deep grey-breasted, with extensive white-tipped tails, and has frequent black-faced variants with black belly markings.

Alternative Names – This bird has also been called White-breasted Cuckoo-shrike, Little Cuckoo-shrike, and Papuan Cuckoo-shrike.

Size – The White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike measures 270-280 mm in length.

Identification – Both sexes are similar to adults. Male cuckoos are jet-black in color, and females are grey-black in color. Its upper parts are pale grey; the flight feathers are dusky and edged gray, and the inner secondary feathers are gray. There is a white tip at the end of the outer feathers of the tail, which is dusky. There is a broad black stripe running from the bill to the eye of the bird. In the north and west, the underparts are almost pure white, while in the northeast, they are pale gray and in the southeast, they are mid-grey. They have brown eyes, black feet, and a black bill. In eastern races, the immature bird is an adult female; flight feathers are white-edged; breasts are faintly barred.

Nest – Both sexes build nests, incubate, and feed young in well-distributed territories. Nesting and breeding season lasts from August to March. Cuckoos build a nest made of fine twigs, leaves, vine tendrils, and bark bound with spider webs. This nest is molded into a horizontal fork of a tree, rising 7 to 10 meters above ground and covered in Lichen.

Eggs – It lays 2 to 3 eggs in an oval-shaped oblong shape that measures about 30 x 23mm and is green with brown or gray markings. It takes about 20-22 days for both sexes to incubate.

Distribution – From the Kimberleys to mid-western Victoria and the southeast of South Australia, there are eucalypt woodlands and open forests. The species is also found in Moluccas, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and Soloman Islands.

Status – The bird has a large population throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Therefore, its population is stable and it is classified as the least concern.

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