Violet Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx xanthorhynchus (Horsfield, 1821)
≈17 cmLength22 gWeight
The male's head and back have a purple sheen, as do its chin and upper breast.
Busiest months: March · Most records: Malaysia, Thailand, India
How to identify
Field marks
- Male has purple metallic gloss on the head and upperparts
- Male has gleaming purple chin and upper breast
- Male has blackish tail with a white tip
- Adult male has red eye-ring
Male, female and young
The female has mottled green-bronze upperparts and a dark brown crown; juveniles have a bright rufous crown.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: March · Most records: Malaysia, Thailand, India
Violet Cuckoo has been recorded at 285 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Sepilok – Rainforest Discovery CenterMalaysia755 records
- Gunung Panti Recreational Forest – Panti Bird Sanctuary and North AreaMalaysia385 records
- Danum Valley Borneo Rainforest LodgeMalaysia348 records
More places
- KalatangIndia298 records
- Chidyatapu Biological ParkIndia295 records
- Cat Tien NPVietnam252 records
- Chiang Dao Wildlife Sanctuary – Wat Tham Pha PlongThailand238 records
- Khao Luang NP – Krung Ching Waterfall trail & campgroundThailand222 records
- Dairy Farm Nature ParkSingapore212 records
- Kaeng Krachan NPThailand180 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
Questions
How big is the Violet Cuckoo?
The Violet Cuckoo is about ≈17 cm long and weighs around 22 g.
Where does the Violet Cuckoo live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: northeastern India and Southeast Asia to Philippines. It is most often recorded in Malaysia, Thailand and India.
When is the best time to see the Violet Cuckoo?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Violet Cuckoo endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Violet Cuckoo as Least Concern.
What does the Violet Cuckoo eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Violet Cuckoo in?
It belongs to the family Cuckoos (Cuculidae), order Cuculiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈17 cm
- Weight
- 22 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 100 mm
- Tail
- 69 mm
- Bill
- 19 mm
- Tarsus
- 15 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: northeastern India and Southeast Asia to Philippines
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuckoos Cuculidae
- Genus
- Chrysococcyx
Other birds in the genus Chrysococcyx
Asian Emerald CuckooChrysococcyx maculatus
Diederik CuckooChrysococcyx caprius
Klaas's CuckooChrysococcyx klaas
Yellow-throated CuckooChrysococcyx flavigularis
African Emerald CuckooChrysococcyx cupreus
Guira CuckooGuira guira
Greater AniCrotophaga major
Smooth-billed AniCrotophaga ani
Groove-billed AniCrotophaga sulcirostris
Striped CuckooTapera naevia
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by evilynlee. ↗
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