# Bird ID - South Coast NSW



## Aslan (Feb 4, 2009)

Guys and Girls,

My olds have a holiday house at Sanctuary Point on the South Coast of NSW.

I was recently speaking to my old man when he told me he had a strange bird in his yard that he hasn't been able to identify. I will give you the information he has given me and see if some of you bird savvy people might be able to help out... (unfortunately there are no photos at this time)...

- The bird is a mustard yellow colour with dark stripes on it.
- It is a hatchling, and was born in a nest of Wattle Birds, however, is clearly not a Wattle Bird as it is about twice their size and body shape is entirely different.
- The Wattle Birds have been raising it as if it was their own baby (makes me think cuckoo..?)

I think our difficulty in ID at the moment is that most of our bird related books only have photographs of mature birds and my suspicions are that the current colour may not be the same as it's mature colour.

Anyone who can help out?

Noone will be back down there for a couple of weeks to try for a photo...


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## Kitah (Feb 4, 2009)

Couple of cuckoo species from my bird book that apparently occur in NSW... Pallid cuckoo, brush cuckoo, fan-tailed cuckoo and the black eared cuckoo (though the black eared is not along the coast line) try googling?  It does sound to me as though its a cuckoo though


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## Snowman (Feb 4, 2009)




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## Snowman (Feb 4, 2009)




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## Snowman (Feb 4, 2009)

some native cuckoo's.... ^^^^^^^^^^


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## Nephrurus (Feb 4, 2009)

Yeah, sounds like a cuckoo...

The only cuckoo that would parasitise a wattle bird is Koel. The juveniles and females are barred and patterned. 

-H


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## JasonL (Feb 4, 2009)

Nephrurus said:


> Yeah, sounds like a cuckoo...
> 
> The only cuckoo that would parasitise a wattle bird is Koel. The juveniles and females are barred and patterned.
> 
> -H



and for that, I love them.


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## xander (Feb 5, 2009)

My monies on a common Koel.


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## Ramsayi (Feb 6, 2009)

Now this is a cuckoo,not some koel wannabe cuckoo.Just a fledgling too,the poor Currawong looked so confused.


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## JasonL (Feb 6, 2009)

Gee Ram's, is that at your place too?


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## Ramsayi (Feb 7, 2009)

JasonL said:


> Gee Ram's, is that at your place too?



Yes mate.The list of stuff that turns up at this joint is amazing,love it.


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## Laughing-Dove (Feb 7, 2009)

Oh, nice man...May I please ask for help identifying a fig bird?

The animals are not shy--I've seen them living communally around my neighbourhood, typically one or two males (they tend to squabble a lot and rearrange the hierarchy) and a flock of females/juveniles. Males are solid olive-khaki colour with deep black tails, rumps and ventral feathers, as well as crowns and scarlet ceres. The females/juveniles are brown with alternating light grey/brown pearl-marked feathers, chaotically arranged, mostly with close stippling on their heads and fairly short strips of brown on their breasts. I live in QLD, about 50 metres from the waterfront in the Moreton bay area. I know they're figbirds, but I'm unsure of the kind.  Help?


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## Aslan (Feb 7, 2009)

*Rams* - What is that bird? I saw one like that at the golf course a few weeks ago - impressive bird...

...and thanks to those who have given advice so far, I think the Common Koel (_Eudynamys scolopacea)_is the answer (I have my old man checking it out at this site - http://www.users.bigpond.com/lesmikebrooker/hosts.htm - to confirm)


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## Nephrurus (Feb 7, 2009)

Nice one Rams... Your backyard is turning up some cracking stuff. I remember the photos you took of the Square tailed kite taking a chick from the wattle bird nest... amazing. 

Laughing_Dove: There's only on figbird species in Australia, the Figbird.

-H


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## Ramsayi (Feb 7, 2009)

Simon its a fledgling Scythrops novaehollandiae,Channel-billed Cuckoo.Nearly twice the size of its adopted Currawong parent.

Yeah Henry nearly everyday there is something different turning up.The kite was great to see thats for sure.


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