Rufous Cuckoo

[Liam:]

I have found out that there is a Rufous Cuckoo living on my local patch with another male. I was wondering just how rare Rufous Cuckoos are?

Thanks

[Adam Cheeseman]

Well females and juveniles are rufous. Don't know about adult males though which I believe are referred to as being 'hepatic'.

cheers,

Adam

[Hobjob]

Pretty rare according to Birds of the Western Palearctic Handbook.

I had great views of one about 2 years ao.
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Adult Female
(1) Grey morph. Common. Usually differs from ♂ in slightly browner upperparts, indistinctly barred, buff-toned breast, or additional buff-brown, black-barred band round chest and shoulders; some indistinguishable. (2) Rufous morph. Rare. Strikingly different, having upperparts rich chestnut, broadly barred black except on rump; face, throat, and breast warm buff, rest of underbody buff-white, all narrowly barred black. Flight-feathers black-brown, prominently barred chestnut. Tail-feathers barred black and chestnut, broadly tipped white. Underwing also tinged buff. Bill of adults dark horn, with pale green or yellow base to lower mandible; eye and eyelids bright yellow; legs and feet yellow.

Juvenile
Plumage variable, with 2 types common: one essentially grey and little barred above, the other rufous-brown and much barred all over. Latter occurs more frequently than rufous ♀, and only exceptionally as bright and with unbarred rump. All differ from adult in prominent white patch on nape (and occasionally some white feathers on forehead and crown), fully barred throat and breast, many narrow white fringes (but not spots) on feathers of upperparts, buffier underparts (particularly on vent and under tail), more obvious barring on flight-feathers, and larger white spots on tail.

[Picidae]

Rufous morphs aren't that common at all but can be mistaken for a very brown coloured female 'grey' for the unwary. I had the fortune of seeing a flyover rufous on Ashdown Forest in Sussex last year.

[Liam:]

Here are some rather rubbish images of the said bird.

[Fieldfare95]

Wow, definitely a rufous and I think they're pretty rare.
Wecome to WAb btw.