Many thanks Julian, for posting this truly remarkable sighting, which clearly demonstrates the value of closely examining your observations.
I have one example of a similar occurrence with the Eastern Koel when I saw at least 4 in my garden on the morning of 26 March 2021. While a couple were still giving their characteristic begging call, I suspect that at least some were
independent and moving through on their migration N [see Section 4.10 on my article in CBN 46, 119-144 (2021)]. In this Section there are other examples of up to 3 fledglings/juveniles close together but generally they were still begging and fed by their
Red Wattlebird hosts.
With the many young I have been observing close to home this season I have at least a couple of further examples where there were 2 fledglings begging in the same yard, and another could be heard within 100 m away. With so many around
in my local area, it’s been a very confusing season for me to estimate how many fledglings/immatures there actually have been, for example, finding them still in the same spot 3 weeks later when the original young there already was quite advanced. Unfortunately,
I am not a photographer, and photos of them may have helped, though I am very reluctant to stand in people’s gardens with a camera while trying to find the noisy but often-hidden young birds.
The only other similar example I can recall is up to 4 Shining Bronze-cuckoos together at the Tidbinbilla NR on 3 April 2005 [CBN, 30, p85 (2005)]
I’m sure Michael Lenz will have already contacted you concerning an article in CBN.
Jack Holland
From:
Canberrabirds <> On Behalf Of
broadcanvas--- via Canberrabirds
Sent: Sunday, 15 February 2026 4:36 PM
To:
Subject: [Canberrabirds] 5+ young fan-tailed cuckoos together
An interesting sighting last week at Callum Brae. Initially a young Fan-tailed Cuckoo caught my eye and seemed to remain in the same area (where I happened to be resting) for some time. Finally I realised there were probably two. So
I took a dozen photographs and watched it/them for about 15 minutes, feeding and perching. Only one or eventually two were visible at a time. But checking photos later I was surprised to see that I had captured 5 different individuals.
There have been discussions of the post-fledging behaviour of cuckoos in Canberra, including whether parents hang around to check on their offspring (with some observations that they will indeed sometimes feed their own chick while it is
still under the care of its hosts), and also whether young birds team up with others or with biological parents or other adults for whatever reason (migration, company, mutual protection?). I haven’t heard of this number of young cuckoos keeping company before,
and wondering if it is actually unusual or not. From the observer’s point of view it would be easy to miss a similar gathering – mine was only noticed because I was stationary at the time for long enough to suspect more than one, and then took multiple photos.
Without the camera the count would have been 2, and if I had not been stationary, only 1.
The young birds covered a range of stages of development – a still gapy juvenile to a nearly grey-backed immature. The pics are arranged in order of eye-ring development. Differences may not show in these small images, but are clear at
full size.
It was an interesting day – also included photographing a Gould’s Wattled Bat (unconfirmed ID) hawking at midday over a dam, and flushing a Little Eagle from the ground about 60m ahead of me (and over a rise so I couldn’t see what it was
doing).
--
Julian
