Meet the high flying wonders of the Coast
Five fun facts about Channel Billed Cuckoos.
Image Antony Born
- Channel-billed Cuckoos are the largest species of Cuckoos to occur in Australia.
- They are large rainforest birds that migrate to the Sunshine Coast every year between August and October, all the way from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
- The Channel-billed Cuckoos are what we call brood parasites. This means that they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, often Currawongs or Magpies, leaving the Channel-billed adults to forage and frolic child-free for their summer holidays on the Sunshine Coast. Once the chicks are old enough to fly, mum and dad swing by and pick them up for their long journey back home.
- Whilst on the coast, young Channel-billed Cuckoos are often picked up by wildlife carers, as they do not get enough food from their host parents.
- Rainforests are not as widespread as they used to on the Coast and it is therefore difficult for Currawongs and Magpies to find enough food to give to the very large and demanding Channel-billed Cuckoos that occupy their nest.
If you want to see some of these beautiful birds up close, take your binoculars and head out to Doonan Creek Environment Reserve, where we have been planting rainforest food trees to ensure there is plenty of food for rainforest birds like Channel-billed Cuckoos when they arrive from the distant shores of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
You can also help Channel-billed Cuckoos by planting rainforest food trees in your backyard, and who knows you might get a visit from these beautiful birds one day!
Here is a list of other council reserves where these birds have been recorded:
- Annie Hehir Road Environment Reserve
- Boyle Road Bushland Conservation Reserve
- Buderim Forest Bushland Conservation Reserve Core
- Doonan Creek Environment Reserve
- Foote Memorial Sanctuary
- Kirby’s Road Environment Reserve
- London Creek Environment Reserve
- Marochy Bushland Botanic Gardens
- Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve
- Mount Ninderry Environment Reserve
- Triunia Environment Reserve
- Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary.
