Common Hawk-Cuckoo

Common Hawk-Cuckoo

Cuculus varius

40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Bandhavgarh National Park
458 Verified records at Bandhavgarh National Park
May Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius), popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. It bears a close resemblance to the shikra, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch. The resemblance to hawks gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoo; like many other cuckoos, these are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of babblers. During their breeding season in summer males produce loud, repetitive three-note calls that are well-rendered as brain-fever, the second note being longer and higher pitched. These notes rise to a crescendo before ending abruptly and repeat after a few minutes; the calling may go on through the day, well after dusk and before dawn. Wikipedia →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hawk-Cuckoo sighting in Bandhavgarh National Park, based on 458 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Bandhavgarh National Park

Indian Cuckoo
LC

Indian Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cuculus micropterus

20–30% · Possible
Common Cuckoo
LC

Common Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cuculus canorus

5–10% · With luck
Greater Coucal
LC

Greater Coucal

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Centropus sinensis

50–60% · Likely
Asian Koel
LC

Asian Koel

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Eudynamys scolopaceus

10–20% · With luck
Sirkeer Malkoha
LC

Sirkeer Malkoha

Bird

Taccocua leschenaultii

5–10% · With luck
Grey-bellied Cuckoo
LC

Grey-bellied Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cacomantis passerinus

5–10% · With luck
Asian Drongo-Cuckoo
LC

Asian Drongo-Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Surniculus lugubris

5–10% · Rare
Banded Bay Cuckoo
LC

Banded Bay Cuckoo

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Cacomantis sonneratii

<5% · Rare
Jacobin Cuckoo
LC

Jacobin Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Clamator jacobinus

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
20–30
Feb
50–60
Mar
50–60
Apr
80–90
May
70–80
Jun
30–40
Jul
30–40
Aug
20–30
Sep
30–40
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
50–60%
2 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
40–50%
3 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
30–40%
4 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
30–40%
5 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
30–40%
6 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
20–30%
7 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
20–30%
8 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
20–30%
9 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
10 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
11 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
12 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
13 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
14 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
5–10%
15 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
16 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
17 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
18 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
19 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
20 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
21 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Hawk-Cuckoo in Bandhavgarh National Park?

About 43% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hawk-Cuckoo sighting in Bandhavgarh National Park, based on 458 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Hawk-Cuckoo in Bandhavgarh National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Common Hawk-Cuckoo in Bandhavgarh National Park in our monthly data.

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