A 'cuckoo' day

Sudden avian cries caught my attention, and from where I was, caught a glimpse of a rather large bird flying into a tree that I've just passed by.  There was an upsurge of adrenaline as I zoomed in to what could be a cuckoo.  After a couple of shots and still unsure of its identity I crept nearer to have my cover blown as the plantain squirrel I sighted earlier started to squawk as the bird was close to it and so alerted it.  The bird fled and it was definitely a cuckoo, relatively bigger than what I have seen so far.

It turned out to be the Large Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides), a lifer for the taman!

This bird is of Least Concern status and is considered an uncommon migrant here, and could hail from India, southern China and Indochina.

It was fortunate that I was able to capture this image albeit blocked with its tail bands clearly visible, a noticeable display of rufous at its neck (which extends to the breast in an adult), brownish-grey upper-part, all features that confidently enable its identity.

16/2021

With only these images I was after it again but unfortunately it kept fleeing and diving into the undergrowth until I lost it.  It was interesting to note that this bird tried to evade detection by flying low into the undergrowth to emerge and dive again into the undergrowth, which made it extremely challenging to spot in the dark and dense area.

Having being on the hunt for more than two hours and still unable to locate it, I decided on a lunch break to return in the afternoon.

I had thought I struck again when I spotted one sitting quietly on a branch.  I quickly aimed my camera and I guessed the bird was on the alert as it immediately flew into the undergrowth.

But it turned out to be a different one, nevertheless it was another exhilarating moment.

A debate ensued if this was a Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo or a Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo, and I'll have to settle for it being the MHC despite the absence of a large white patch on the nape of the neck as common in any MHC.

The Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo (Hierococcyx fugax) is of Least Concern status, and could be considered a migrant 'over most of its range, including S & E Myanmar (and Tennasserim), Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, N & C Laos, W Tonkin and C Annam (Vietnam), and it is sparingly distributed and generally local across Borneo; however, considered frequent at Siberut, on Sumatra.'

17/2021

And with this look it took off.