Alternative name: Long-tailed Cuckoo
- Urodynamis taitensis
Eudynamys taitensis
Identification
15–16.5 in (38–42 cm), 0.24 lb (120 g). Male, long-tailed, rufous-barred brown above, head blackish; below, white to rufous, iris yellow, bill yellow-horn, nostril slit-like. Females more rufous.
Distribution
New Zealand and many islands in Oceania.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species which some authorities place in genus Eudynamys. Originally: Cuculus taitensis Sparrman, 1787, Tahiti.
Habitat
Forest and scrub.
Behaviour
Diet includes insects, crabs, lizards, eggs, nestlings.
Brood parasite, hosts are songbirds. Nestling evicts host offspring; nestling period is around 21 days.
