Curio

State Library of New South Wales
‘Cuculous’: Golden bronze cuckoos (Cuculus plagosus), and Rufous whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris), 1790s

‘Cuculous’: Golden bronze cuckoos (Cuculus plagosus), and Rufous whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris), 1790s

Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW ; Purchased 1887; PXD 226, f. 46

Watercolour with gold leaf

Shining bronze cuckoos are migratory, flying to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea regions in the winter.
The Rufous whistler has a variety of musical calls.
The Rufous whistler can be found in forested areas, woodland and also in gardens.
Golden bronze cuckoos inhabit a range of forest areas, eating insects that are avoided by other birds including hairy caterpillars and ladybirds.
The Rufous whsitler has a predominantly reddish-brown and grey plumage.
Golden bronze cuckoos are parasitic and lay their eggs in other birds' nests with more than 60 species of other birds acting as ‘hosts’.
The Golden bronze cuckoo also known as Shining bronze cuckoo is the world’s smallest cuckoo, measuring around 15 centimetres.
Rufous whistlers have short beaks and long tails (almost as long as the rest of the bird) which are very narrow and have sharp, forked tips.
Golden bronze cuckoos have metallic golden or coppery green plumage, white cheeks and darker green under parts.