Photo: J.M.Garg / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Plaintive Cuckoo
Cacomantis merulinus
Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) — Cuckoos & Turacos of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) is a member of the Cuculidae family found in Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 25.3 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 merulinus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 25.3 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Plaintive Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Plaintive Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) is a member of the Cuculidae family, within the order Cuculiformes. Its range spans Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR, AU se Asia to Philippines.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 25.3 g, with a wing length of about 10.4 cm and a tail of around 10.4 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 5 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Plaintive Cuckoo?
The Plaintive Cuckoo is a small bird that weighs around 25.3 g.
Where does the Plaintive Cuckoo live?
The Plaintive Cuckoo is found across Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR, AU se Asia to Philippines, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Plaintive Cuckoo belong to?
The Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus) belongs to the Cuculidae family, in the order Cuculiformes.
What does the Plaintive Cuckoo eat?
The Plaintive Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Plaintive Cuckoo migrate?
The Plaintive Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Plaintive 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 Plaintive Cuckoo make?
1 real field recording of the Plaintive 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 Plaintive Cuckoo's range?
The Plaintive Cuckoo has a mapped global range of about 5 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.
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