Long-tailed Cuckoo

Eudynamys taitensis, the koekoeā, is a large endemic-breeding cuckoo that winters across the Pacific. It differs from shining bronze-cuckoo through its much larger size, long barred tail and streaked underparts. The upperparts are brown with buff spots, while the pale underparts carry dark streaks. Its pointed wings and extremely long tail produce a falcon-like profile.

It breeds in native forest on the main islands and several offshore islands. After breeding it migrates thousands of kilometres into tropical Pacific archipelagos. It takes large insects, eggs, lizards and small birds. Females place eggs in whitehead, yellowhead or brown creeper nests, depending on region.

The New Zealand classification is Nationally Vulnerable. Pureora Forest Park and Ulva Island are good places to hear koekoeā in spring and summer.