Dear all,
I was camping about 30km north of Newhaven over the weekend and
yesterday, 28 January, I heard a Pheasant Coucal, /Centropus phasianinus
/calling from about 0630 to 0715 hours. It was in thick scrub along a
dry creek line at the bottom of a scree slope and seemed to be moving
away from me.
Having lived in the Top End of the NT for some years I am familiar with
the Coucal's call and, while I didn't sight the bird/s I am confident
that I identified it correctly.
None of the field guides I have to hand show the range of this species
being further south than about the Katherine/Mataranka area. The New
Atlas has a single, non-breeding Autumn record from Alice Springs,
approx. 300 km to the south-east, and three records for all seasons from
the Lajamanu area, about 500km to the north-west. I also note that the
BA Newhaven Birds List has no entry for the Coucal.
This may be worth pursuing further because it represents a substantial
extension of the bird's range - I'll try to get back to have a more
extended stay in the area sometime over the next few months. I'd welcome
any comments or news of similar sightings from the southern NT.
Cheers and best,
Robert Gosford
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www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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