130 AUSTRALIAN

BIRD WATCHER

AUSTRALIAN BIRD WATCHER 1997, 17, 130-133

Notes on the Diet of Cuckoos in New South Wales

by A.B. ROSE, Associate, The Australian Museum, 6-8 College Street, Sydney, N.S.W. 2000

(present address: 61 Boundary Street, Forster, N.S.W. 2428)

Cuckoos (Cuculidae) are known to include hairy caterpillars in their diet, with the result that their stomach lining is 'furred' with embedded hairs (e.g. Rose 1973, Schodde & Tidemann 1986, Strahan 1994). Previous, specific dietary records for Australian cuckoos have been listed by Rose (1973) and Barker & Vestjens (1989) . The following supplementary data were obtained from an examination of the stomach contents of birds found dead, and forwarded to wildlife agencies. Cuckoo species examined were Pallid Cuckoo Cuculus pallidus, Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis jlabelliformis, Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis, Shining Bronze­Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus, Common Koel Eudynamys scolopacea, Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae and Pheasant Coucal Centro pus phasianinus. Foraging observations for some of these species are included. Specimens were stored frozen, and food items were identified (microscopically if necessary) from reference material and with the aid of CSIRO (1970) .

Pallid Cuckoo Stomach. contents: 1. Coffs Harbour (30 °18 '5, 153 °08 'E), January 1976 (N. Fenton): millipede (Diplopoda) and

caterpillar remains. 2. Merriwagga (33 °49 '5, 145 °38 'E), 22 August 1976 (R. Moffat): insect remains (not larvae).

Fan-tailed Cuckoo Four specimens listed by Rose (1973) are not repeated here. The stomach lining

in this species normally has many caterpillar (Lepidoptera) hairs embedded, in old birds giving the appearance of being furred (pers. obs.) . The degree of 'furring' is noted and, where possible, the age of the specimen from dissection is given. Most of the specimens were found dead, having flown into walls or windows of houses at night. I have caught one in a mist-net set at night for bats well after dark. At W ahroonga, a northern suburb of Sydney, most of the dead birds were found in spring. Besides those listed below, a cat left remains of three in August 1972, one in August 1973 and one on 11 September 1980 (no data on stomach contents).

Stomach contents: 1. Jamberoo (34°39'5, 150°46'E), 12 July 1971 (R. McQueen), subadult female, well-furred stomach:

13 caterpillar heads (all spiny Arctiidae). 2. Mt Ku-ring-gai (33°39'5, 151 °09'E), 5 January 1973 (T. Barratt), subadult male, well-furred

stomach: ball of rolled-up caterpillar hairs in stomach (no hairs in the lower gut), caterpillar remains and one cockroach (Blattodea).

3. Wahroonga (33 °43 '5, 151 °08 'E), 2 August 1973 (ABR), adult female, furred stomach: remains of caterpillars.

4. No locality given, Fauna Protection Panel freezer 1973, subadult male, half-furred stomach: one furry caterpillar and one Vine Moth PluJlaenoides glycine larva (smooth).

5. Wahroonga, 25 September 1976 (ABR), adult female, well-furred stomach: two cup-moth Doratifera larvae (these larvae possess tufts of erectile stinging spines). '

6 . Bobbin Head (33°39'5, 151 °09'E), 30 November 1976 (M. Bailey), adult female, well-furred stomach: hairy caterpillar remains.

VOL. 17 (3) SEPTEMBER 1997

Plate 15

Diet of Cuckoos in N.S.W.

Fan-tailed Cuckoo

131

Photo: R. Weatherly

7. Nadgee Nature Reserve (37 °28 'S, 149 °58 'E), 11 October 1977 (C. Wheeler) , adult, well-furred stomach: caterpillar remains.

8. Wahroonga, 25 September 1980 (ABR), adult female, medium-furred stomach: two cup-moth larvae.

Observations: 1. Wahroonga (ABR), 20 August 1972 and 14 July 1973: cuckoo eating cup-moth larvae in a Red

Bloodwood Corymbia gummifera.

Including the two observations herein and the data from Rose (1973), i.e. 14 stomachs/ observations, caterpillars occurred in 13 (93 %) and moth, cockroach and other insect each occurred in one (7% frequency of occurrence for each).

Horsfield's Bronze-Cuckoo

Stomach contents: 1. Waste Point, Kosciusko National Park (36 "23'S, 148 °35 'E), 23 July 1973 (J. Southern), subadult

female, lightly furred stomach: nine caterpillars (including Arctiidae). 2. Buckingbong State Forest, near Narrandera (35 °04'S, 146 °28 'E), 10 December 1979 (ABR),

juvenile apparently reared by Richard' s Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae, no larval hairs in stomach: 22 lady-beetles (Coleoptera, Coccinelidae) and nine of their larvae, one other species of beetle that appeared to be mimicking coccinelids (which discharge a distasteful fluid toxic to vertebrates; CSIRO 1970).

Observations: 1. Wahroonga, 29 August 1974 (ABR): one eating cup-moth larvae in a Red Bloodwood; while doing

so it flew up three times as if catching flying insects. 2 . Wahgunyah State Forest, east of Albury (35 °47 'S, 145 °59 'E), 14 August 1979 (ABR): one was

struggling with a large caterpillar on the ground.

132

Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Stomach contents:

ROSE AUSTRALIAN

BIRD WATCHER

I. St Ives, northern Sydney suburb (33 °44 'S, 151 °10'E), 12 July 1971 (T. Herbert), subadult female, lightly furred stomach: caterpillar remains. Hit window.

2. Kilcare Heights, near Gosford (33 OZ7 'S, 151 OZ4 'E), 1 September 1975 (A. Strom), subadult male, moderately furred stomach: two species of caterpillar. Hit window.

3. Dharug National Park, north-west of Sydney (33 °23 'S, 151°01 'E), 20 April 1982 (R. Conroy), subadult male, stomach very lightly furred: insect remains including one caterpillar. Found dead on a track.

Observations: I. Wahroonga, 20 August 1972 (ABR) : feeding on cup-moth larvae. 2. Tuncurry (32 °10 'S 152 °30 'E), 25 June 1990 (ABR): one took at least nine caterpillars (up to

40 mm long) off a branch of a Swamp She-oak Casuarina glauca .

Common Koel Stomach contents: I. Forster (32 °11 'S, 152 °31 'E), 16 November 1992 (ABR), adult female : mulberries Morns.

Observations (Forster) : Observed feeding on various fruits: figs Ficus, mulberries Morns nigra and M. alba, Brush Cherry Syzygium paniculatum, Barbados Cherry Malpighia glabra, Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum, Paw­paw Carica papaya, Inkweed Phyolacca octandra.

Channel-billed Cuckoo Stomach contents: 1. North of Gloucester (31 °59 'S , 152 °01 'E), 10 March 1984 (B. Hooke), subadult male: stomach

empty; seed, vegetable and beetle remains in intestine. Hit house at night.

Pheasant Coucal Three specimens listed by Rose (1973) are not repeated here. The following

specimens were found dead on roads. Stomach contents: I. Forster, 17 March 1975 (ABR) , subadult female: nine Black Crickets Teleogryllus commodus,

four grasshoppers (Eumastacidae), praying mantis Tenodera australasiae (Mantidae) and one mantid ootheca (egg -case).

2. Frenchs Forest, near Sydney (33 °41 'S, 151°15 'E), July 1982 (A. May): one caterpillar, 18 grasshoppers (Orthoptera) , one mantid ootheca, two spider egg-sacs (Araneae).

3. Forster, early January 1986 (D. Turner), adult female, lightly furred stomach, full (n=21 items): eight grasshoppers (38% by no.) including Eumastacidae and Acrididae, last mouthful (still in gullet) was locust Austacris guttulosa; one hairy caterpillar (5%) and a moth (5%), two stink­bugs (Heteroptera, Pentatomoidea; 10%), one beetle Anoplognathus olivieri (Scarabaeidae, 5%), five huntsman spiders (Sparassidae, two with egg-sacs; 24%), one stick-insect (Phasmatidae, 5%) , frog bones (5%) and scales of a small snake (5%).

4. Black Head Road, north ofTuncurry (32 °03 'S, 152 °30'E) , 30 January 1986 (ABR), adult male: several grasshoppers, one mantis, two stink-bugs .

5 . Between Forster and Booti Booti (32 °13 'S, 152 °32 'E) , 1986 (D. Turner), subadult female: two grasshoppers , two beetles (Coleoptera) , 12 strongly smelling stink-bugs.

6. Nabiac (32 °05 'S, 152 °22 'E), 15 March 1987 (ABR), adult female: stomach full of grasshoppers and mantids (not counted) .

7 . 15 km east of Gloucester (32 °01 'S, 152 °05 'E) , 24 October 1988 (ABR): two caterpillars; grasshoppers (Acrididae) and bugs (Hemiptera).

8. 20 km east of Gloucester (32 °01 'S, 152 °07 'E), 24 October 1988 (ABR): three grasshoppers (Acrididae), one caterpillar, one spider.

9 . Booti Booti, south of Forster (32 °18 'S, 152 °31 'E), 19 May 1989 (D . Turner), subadult female: many stink-bugs and one grasshopper (Acrididae).

10. Fail ford (32 °05 'S, 152 °28 'E) , 3 February 1992 (ABR), adult male: grasshoppers (Acrididae), one mantis and some stink-bugs.

VOL. 17 (3) SEPTEMBER 1997 Diet of Cuckoos in N. S. W.

Table 1

133

Occurrence of food items in stomachs of the Pheasant Coucal, incorporating the data in Rose (1973); 14 stomachs in total.

Prey n stomachs %stomachs

Orthopterans 13 93 Bugs 7 50 Mantids 7 50 Caterpillars 6 43 Beetles 3 21 Moths 2 14 Phasmatid 1 7 Spiders 3 21 Frog 1 7 Snake 1 7

11. 13 km north of Tuncurry (32 °03 'S, 152 °29 'E), 16 July 1996 (ABR), subadult male: stomach full (rotting, so heads not counted) of caterpillars, grasshoppers, three mantid oothecas.

These data, together with those in Rose (1973), show the Coucal 's preference for orthopterans, stink-bugs, mantids and caterpillars among a variety of prey taken (Table 1).

Discussion The food items listed in this study are generally similar to those listed by Barker

& Vestjens (1989) for the corresponding species, with some 'new' specific records for the Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Koel and particularly the Coucal. The data herein generally agree with the conclusions of Schodde & Tidemann (1986) and Strahan (1994) on the food preferences of cuckoos. For instance, it is well known that cuckoos specialise on unpalatable items such as spiny or hairy caterpillars which are avoided by most birds. This study suggests that such specialisation extends to the Pheasant Coucal 's propensity to take stink-bugs, which may account for the Coucal's foul-smelling, unpalatable flesh (see Strahan 1994). Cuckoos apparently have the physiological means to deal with noxious defensive chemicals in their prey. The ball of caterpillar hairs in the stomach of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo supports the suggestion of Schodde & Tidemann (1986) that cuckoos might periodically slough the stomach lining and regurgitate the embedded hairs or spines. The specimen data herein suggest that cuckoos migrate at night.

Acknowledgements I thank N.S.W. National Parks & Wildlife Service staff and others (named above) for collecting

and forwarding some of the specimens, and Mrs Susie Debus for typing a draft onto computer disk. I also gratefully acknowledge staff of the Entomology Department, Australian Museum, for access to their reference collection, Stephen Debus for assistance with this paper, and John Peter for editing.

References Barker, R.D. & Vestjens, W.J.M. (1989), The Food of Australian Birds. 1. Non-Passerines , CSIRO,

Melbourne. CSIRO (1970), The Insects of Australia, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. Rose, A.B. (1973), 'Food of some Australia birds', Emu 73, 177- 183. Schodde, R. & Tidemann, S.C. (Eds) (1986), Reader 's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds ,

2nd edn, Reader's Digest Services, Sydney. Strahan, R. (Ed.) (1994), Cuckoos, Nightbirds & Kingfishers of Australia, Angus & Robertson, Sydney.

Received 4 September 1996 •