The Little Bronze-Cuckoo, Chalcites minutillus or Chrysococcyx minutillus depending on your field guide is one of those birds that you will hear a lot more often than you will see. It is the smallest cuckoo in Australia and is found across the north and eastern Australia. Each cuckoo in Australia has a distinct call and once you listen to how many notes there are and whether it is ascending or descending you will have a grasp on which one you are hearing. They often sound frantic as they call and the Little Bronze-Cuckoo has four or five notes which are descending. Usually you are content with the sound of them and if you are lucky you are actually able to find them in the mangroves or paperbark trees.  The photo above is usually what you are able to get….if you are lucky! Other times you are able to get something like below…..you are happy….you saw the “red eye-ring” and the species is truly confirmed.

Little Bronze-Cuckoo (2)

By chance there were two Little Bronze-Cuckoos in the tree and I was able to get some half decent photographs of the species. Of course the camera wanted to focus on the leaves and the Little Bronze-Cuckoo was trying to hide either its red eye-ring or block itself behind a branch, but I could take lots of photographs and hope for a miracle and just maybe I would get something to share.

Little Bronze-Cuckoo (3)

Little Bronze-Cuckoo (4)

Little Bronze-Cuckoo (5)

Little Bronze-Cuckoo (6)

Little Bronze-Cuckoo (7)

Little Bronze-Cuckoo (8)

Little Bronze-Cuckoo

If there was a “Xmas miracle” last weekend it was hearing, then seeing and then photographing a Little Bronze-Cuckoo. Nothing better than a bit of red and green around Xmas!!

We hope you all have a good Xmas and may you all have a “Xmas miracle”.

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!