Common Hawk-Cuckoo
Cuculus varius
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderCuculiformes (Cuckoos)
- FamilyCuculidae (Cuckoos)
- GenusCuculus (Typical Old World Cuckoos)
- SpeciesCuculus varius (Common Hawk-Cuckoo)
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 →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hawk-Cuckoo sighting in Kaziranga National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Kaziranga National Park
Indian Cuckoo
Cuculus micropterus
Large Hawk Cuckoo
Cuculus sparverioides
Common Cuckoo
Cuculus canorus
Himalayan Cuckoo
Cuculus saturatus
Greater Coucal
Centropus sinensis
Asian Koel
Eudynamys scolopaceus
Lesser Coucal
Centropus bengalensis
Plaintive Cuckoo
Cacomantis merulinus
Asian Drongo-Cuckoo
Surniculus lugubris
Asian Emerald Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx maculatus
Banded Bay Cuckoo
Cacomantis sonneratii
Violet Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus
📅 Monthly Probability
🌅 When They're Spotted
Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)
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 | |
| 2 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 7 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 15 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 16 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 17 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 18 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 20 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Common Hawk-Cuckoo in Kaziranga National Park?
About 0% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hawk-Cuckoo sighting in Kaziranga National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Common Hawk-Cuckoo in Kaziranga National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Common Hawk-Cuckoo in Kaziranga National Park in our monthly data.