Black-winged Cuckooshrike

Lalage melaschistos (Hodgson, 1836)

≈22 cmLength43 gWeight

The male has dark gray upperparts, black wings and tail, and conspicuous white feather tips on the underside of the tail.

Busiest months: February · Most records: Thailand, China, India

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male has dark gray upperparts and black wings and tail
Male has conspicuous white feather tips on the underside of the tail

Male, female and young

The female is paler, with faint barring on the belly.

Voice

A loud “twit twit to we”, gradually falling in pitch.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: February · Most records: Thailand, China, India

Black-winged Cuckooshrike has been recorded at 740 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 12 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Khao Yai NPThailand698 records
Tai Po Kau Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)678 records
Kaeng Krachan NPThailand566 records

More places

Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi Lang (W), AKA Doi San JuThailand479 records
Kaeng Krachan NP – km 9 vicinityThailand381 records
Sangla and AreaNepal360 records
Khao Yai NP – headquarters vicinityThailand341 records
Kaeng Krachan NP – Panoen Thung (upper elevation) vicinityThailand270 records
Nameri National Park & SurroundingsIndia260 records
Kaeng Krachan NP – stream crossings 1–3Thailand246 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Thailand China India Nepal Cambodia Vietnam Bhutan Bangladesh

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The black-winged cuckooshrike (Lalage melaschistos), also known as lesser grey cuckooshrike or dark grey cuckooshrike, is a species of cuckooshrike found in South to Southeast Asia. Despite the name, they (cuckooshrikes) are unrelated to either shrikes or cuckoos. They have broad based bills with grey upper parts, black wings, white vent, graduated white-tipped tails, black bills and legs.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Black-winged Cuckooshrike?

The Black-winged Cuckooshrike is about ≈22 cm long and weighs around 43 g.

Where does the Black-winged Cuckooshrike live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas through Southeast Asia. It is most often recorded in Thailand, China and India.

When is the best time to see the Black-winged Cuckooshrike?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Black-winged Cuckooshrike endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-winged Cuckooshrike as Least Concern.

What does the Black-winged Cuckooshrike eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Black-winged Cuckooshrike in?

It belongs to the family Cuckooshrikes (Campephagidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: ≈22 cm
Weight: 43 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 118 mm
Tail: 96 mm
Bill: 21 mm
Tarsus: 22 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: Himalayas through Southeast Asia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 4

Lalage melaschistos melaschistos n Pakistan to ne India, n, w Myanmar and sw China
Lalage melaschistos avensis sc China through e Myanmar to n Thailand, n Laos and c Vietnam
Lalage melaschistos intermedia c, se China, Taiwan (China)
Lalage melaschistos saturata ne, c Vietnam and Hainan I. (off se China)