Grey-bellied cuckoo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grey-bellied cuckoo
Male from Kerala, India
Female at Kakani Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal.
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Cacomantis
Species:	passerinus

The grey-bellied cuckoo is a fascinating bird found across many parts of Asia. It's also known as the Indian plaintive cuckoo. This cuckoo is famous for its unique habits and calls.

What Does the Grey-bellied Cuckoo Look Like?

This cuckoo is one of the smaller kinds. It grows to about 23 centimeters long, which is roughly the length of a ruler. Adult birds are mostly grey. They have a white belly and white under their tail. You might also spot a white patch on their wings.

Some female cuckoos look a bit different. They can be reddish-brown with dark stripes on their upper body. Their tail won't have stripes, but their white underparts will have strong dark stripes. Young cuckoos look similar to these females but are a duller grey color.

Where Do Grey-bellied Cuckoos Live?

A grey-bellied cuckoo resting

These cuckoos live in warm, tropical parts of southern Asia. You can find them breeding in countries like India and Sri Lanka. Their range extends to southern China and Indonesia. They have also been seen in Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Grey-bellied cuckoos are short-distance migrants. This means they travel shorter distances to find warmer places. Birds living in cooler northern areas or high mountains move to warmer spots during winter. They prefer to live in light woodlands and areas where people grow crops.

How Do Grey-bellied Cuckoos Live?

A grey-bellied cuckoo in its natural habitat

The grey-bellied cuckoo has a very interesting way of raising its young. It's a brood parasite. This means it doesn't build its own nest. Instead, it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds, often warblers. The warblers then raise the cuckoo chick as their own. Each cuckoo female usually lays just one egg in a host's nest.

These cuckoos eat a variety of insects. They especially enjoy munching on caterpillars. If you hear a loud, repeated pee-pip-pee-pee call, it might be a grey-bellied cuckoo! They are quite noisy birds. When they call, they often hold their tail down low.

Gallery

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  A grey-bellied cuckoo in Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary, India.

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  Another view of the grey-bellied cuckoo in India.

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  An illustration of the grey-bellied cuckoo from 1872.