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Violet Cuckoo – call

on 14th June 2018
Violet Cuckoo (Courtesy of Johnny Wee).

The Violet Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus) is an uncommon resident and winter visitor to Singapore (Wang & Hails, 2007). It is nationally vulnerable and considered at risk due to its small number, estimated at around less than 20 birds (Ng & Wee, 1994).

The cuckoo’s habitat is secondary woodland, forests and forest edges, although it was documented at Jurong Eco Garden on 1st June 2018. When first sighted it was perching high up a tree. With time it came down to almost eye level, making it easy to document. It was then about 6.16 pm.

BESG’s checklist of bird calls and songs has so far no record of the Violet Cuckoo’s call and Meilin Khoo’s video is an important addition.

Robson (2008) reports the call as a loud, sharp TEE-WIT, usually given during undulating flight. The video recorded its secondary call – “a shrill accelerating, descending trill preceded by a triple note: seer-se-seer, seeseeseesee.”

Meilin Khoo
Singapore
2nd June 2018

References:
1.
Ng, P. K. L. & Y. C. Wee (1994). The Singapore red data book – Threatened plants and animals of Singapore. Nature Society (Singapore). 343 pp.
2. Robson, C., 2008. A field guide to the birds of South-east Asia. New Holland, London. 544 pp.
3. Wang, L.K. & C. J. Hails, 2007. An annotated checklist of birds of Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 15: 1-179.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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