Long-tailed Koel

Urodynamis taitensis (Sparrman, 1787)

Long-tailed Koel, Urodynamis taitensis, breeds in New Zealand across the North, South and Stewart Islands and nearby satellites, and spends the non-breeding season through the central and southern tropical Pacific from Palau to the Pitcairn group. It is a cuckoo in the family Cuculidae and the only member of its genus. The bird is a brood parasite, placing its eggs in the nests of other species and leaving them to raise the young. It is also known by several other names, including long-tailed cuckoo and Pacific long-tailed cuckoo.

Order

Cuculiformes

Family

Cuculidae — Cuckoos

Breeding range

Australasia: North, South and Stewart is. and satellites (New Zealand)

Nonbreeding range

c, s tropical Pacific, from Palau (w Caroline Is., w Micronesia) to Pitcairn group (se Polynesia)