Pheasant Coucal (Centropus phasianinus) - Birds in Backyards Fact sheet

Scientific name: Centropus phasianinus
Pheasant Coucal has a long tail and short rounded wings.
In its breeding plumage, it has a black head, neck and underbody with the upperparts and wings reddish-brown with black and cream barring and the black tail is barred orange
The Pheasant Coucal is found in northern and eastern Australia, as well as New Guinea and East Timor. It is found from the Pilbara, Western Australia, to south-eastern New South Wales
Research Species: No
Minimum size: 50 cm
Maximum size: 70 cm
Average size: 60 cm
Average weight: 380 g
Breeding season: September to March
Clutch size: 3 to 5
Incubation: 15 days
Time in nest: 13 days
The Pheasant Coucal feeds on the ground on large insects, frogs, lizards, eggs and young of birds and, sometimes, small mammals.
Pheasant Coucals have benefited from land clearing where weedy thickets have grown up, especially of Blackberry or Lantana. However have been adversely affected by widening urban development and where overgrazing by livestock has occurred.

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on Jun 06, 11