Pīpīwharauroa, Shining cuckoo heard at Waikawa Beach, November 2022

I’ve never yet seen a Pīpīwharauroa, Shining cuckoo but have recently heard one near the lakes in Strathnaver. I’m keeping my eyes peeled.

These birds have the most annoying call. Visit the link above and listen to the sound files. They do a sort of ‘pee pee pee pee pee pee pee pee pee wheeeew’.

Voice: the main call is a loud upwardly-slurred whistle repeated several times; the sequence usually ends with a downwardly-slurred whistle.

The excellent photo is: Shining Bronze Cuckoo. | Laurie Boyle | Flickr.

Identification

Length: 16 cm; Weight: 23 g; A relatively small cuckoo with iridescent dark green plumage upperparts and white below with narrow dark green transverse bands. Immature plumage is slightly duller, especially on the throat and chest, with less distinct ventral barring.

Shining cuckoos are brood parasites, laying their eggs singly in nests of grey warblers (mainland)

Shining cuckoos from New Zealand spend the winters in the Bismarck Archipelago (New Guinea) and Solomon Islands.