can someone ID this bird please

[taswegian]

I think its a Southern Scrub Robin but that's my guess.
It's about 20cm, 8" long and 'bounces about' from branch to branch.
It flew off and didn't see how it flies.
Curious as to what habitat it lives in around the farms.
Quality not crash hot - took me by surprise

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[frenchy_84]

its a cuckoo, i dont have the book in front of me to tell you which one but possibly a palid? cuckoo

[frenchy_84]

its a brush cuckoo
http://www.google.com.au/search?um=1&hl ... 85l2.2.0.1

[whiskeylover]

It is a fantailed cuckoo. The brush cuckoo is not usually seen in Tasmania and is lighter in colour. The pallid cuckoo looks quite different, and the only other one that looks similar but is much darker on the chest is the chestnut breasted cuckoo which is only found in far North Qld. The Southern scrub Robin is a different shape and quite brownish with very different markings. Well done on getting good enough photos for identification.

[corvus]

It is as whiskeylover said a Fan-tailed Cuckoo and you were so lucky getting all of those photographs,I have never sighted one only ever heard the descending 'peeeeeeeeer' call
corvus

[taswegian]

thanks. I hadn't thought of cuckoos.
It sure was a great sight.

I took the pics through the window on full zoom.
I've changed focus to spot focus now as we often get 'stray' birds that appear on window ledges.
regards

[Drifting]

I've never seen one, and I'm a keen birdwatcher!

[mikethepike]

They are fab fotos Taswegian. Congrats! It's a fuuny thing but where I live, the initially (very brief) raising and then descending call of the FTC invariably preceeds rain. Not rain 10 minutes away but later on that day or night or the following morning. I think that in recognition of this, some people know it as the rainbird. But in Tassie of course, the poor things would soon become hoarse if they adopted that practice!. With regards spotting these cuckoos, I do generally tend to see them when attracted by their very distinctive and unmistakable call.

[whynotwalk]

Better photos than the one I had for my blog, taswegian

http://auntyscuttle.blogspot.com/2009/12/apprentice-cuckoo_15.html

But I agree with the last few posts - it is a fan-tailed cuckoo. A while back I wrote a philosophical blog-piece that was prompted by encounters with these guys. Very common in spring in Tassie's south.

cheers

Peter