Hi Kate,
You've discovered Channel-billed Cuckoos, sometimes affectionately called the
flying walking-stick.
Yes they are indeed parasitic cuckoos that visit out more temperate latitudes
during the austral summer.
They parasitise birds in the magpie / currawong range size and it seams a
mystery that their victim parents realise that they are a problem when spotting
adults flying around (hence the attacks upon them), but can't recognise (or
just don't do anything about) the youngsters in their nest.
Allan Richardson
Morisset NSW
On 16/11/2013, at 2:01 PM, Kate Rees wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
>
> My name is Kate and I live on the coast of NSW in Manly, I came across
> your list through my local library where I work as a librarian on the
> weekend, and I was very pleased to find such a list!
> I've been on maternity leave after finishing my job in the CBD and have
> started noticing the birds that live around the local area, both those who
> seem to inhabit the region year round and the "blow-ins" that flock in at
> various times throughout the year.
> My question is this: I have noticed a large grey bird that often appears in
> pairs, (I have also observed them flying in a group) that are being
> fiercely attacked by the local magpies, noisy minors, the occasional crow
> and even sea eagle. I have never seen them before, they have a large
> piercing cry and seem to roost or rest in the local Norfolk pines. They
> look a bit like a crane, without the long neck and legs. They also have
> long fan-like tail. The reason why they interested me was because I
> wondered if they could be a kind of cuckoo, or a bird that displaces the
> eggs of other birds because they seem so hated. All you have to do is look
> up in the sky if there is a commotion and these birds are invariably at the
> centre of an attack.
> Thanks for your help, I look forward to your replies.
> Kate.
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