Photo: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Fan-tailed Cuckoo
Cacomantis flabelliformis
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) — Cuckoos & Turacos of Australia & Oceania.
Found across 15 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) is a member of the Cuculidae family found in Australia & Oceania and Oceans & Seabirds. Adults weigh 49.8 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Cuculiformes
- Family Cuculidae Cuckoos
- Genus Cacomantis
- Species flabelliformis
Where it lives
Montane New Guinea, southwestern, eastern Australia and Tasmania, New Caledonia, Solomon Is., Vanuatu and Fiji (southwestern Polynesia)
Quick facts
- Weight
- 49.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) is a species of bird in the Cuculidae family, part of the order Cuculiformes. It occurs naturally across Australia & Oceania and Oceans & Seabirds. Its distribution covers AU, PO montane New Guinea, sw, e Australia and Tasmania, New Caledonia, Solomon Is., Vanuatu and Fiji (sw Polynesia).
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 49.8 g, with a wing length of about 13.7 cm and a tail of around 13.3 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 2.4 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Fan-tailed Cuckoo?
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 49.8 g.
Where does the Fan-tailed Cuckoo live?
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is found across Australia & Oceania and Oceans & Seabirds with a range covering AU, PO montane New Guinea, sw, e Australia and Tasmania, New Caledonia, Solomon Is., Vanuatu and Fiji (sw Polynesia), where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Fan-tailed Cuckoo belong to?
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis) belongs to the Cuculidae family, in the order Cuculiformes.
What does the Fan-tailed Cuckoo eat?
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Fan-tailed Cuckoo migrate?
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Fan-tailed Cuckoo endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Fan-tailed Cuckoo make?
1 real field recording of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Fan-tailed Cuckoo's range?
The Fan-tailed Cuckoo has a mapped global range of about 2.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
Explore more birds
More in Cuculidae
Least Concern
Extinct
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
More in Cuckoos & Turacos
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern