AVIAN GENUS CHRYSOCOCCYX 41 



C. lucidus. 



The various races of this cuckoo are so unequally well known 

 that it seems advisable to Ust their known hosts separately. At this 

 point, however, it may be stated that all the known fosterers of its 

 various geographic segments are small insectivorous birds and that 

 the Uttle warblers comprising the genus Gerygone appear to be the 

 most frequently chosen hosts. Fantails, robins, sunbirds, and honey- 

 eaters are also used, and even the introduced house sparrow, chaf- 

 finch, and blackbu'd are occasionally parasitized in New Zealand. 



C. lucidus lucidus. 



The nominate New Zealand race of the shining cuckoo has been 

 found to parasitize eight native and three introduced species of 

 birds.^ From the literature and the unpublished records kindly sent 

 me by their observers I have been able to amass some 58 cases of 

 parasitism, no fewer than 40 of which involved Gerygone igata, which 

 must, then, be considered the primary host. In this connection it 

 may be noted that in Austraha the allied cuckoo race, C. I. plagosvs, 

 also uses Gerygone warblers but less frequentl}^ than it does thornbills 

 (Acanthiza) . 



The known fosterers are as follows: 



Mohoua albicilla Whitehead 



Gerygone igata Gray warbler 



Gerygone albofrontata Chatham Island warbler 



Petroica melanocephala Yellow-breasted tomtit 



Miro australis Toutouwai 



Rhipidura Jlabellijera Piwakawaka 



Zosterops lateralis Gray-breasted silvereye 



Turdus merula Blackbird 



Anthornis melanura Bellbird 



Passer domesticus House sparrow 



Fringilla coelebs Chaffinch 



C. lucidus layardi. 



This race of the shining cuckoo is yet to be studied for its host 

 choice. The only statement in the literature is the assumption that 

 the chief host (!) is likely to be Gerygone fiavolateralis (Makatsch, 

 1955, p. 188), which assumption is based on a mention by Mayr to 

 the effect that the distribution of C. I. layardi is probably coordinated 

 with that of this "favorite" host. 



2 For pertinent references to publislied records see: BuUer 1888, p. 132; Cayley 

 1950, p. 70; Fulton 1910, pp. 392-408; Makatsch 1955, p. 188; INIichie 1948, 

 p. 196; North 1912, p. 28; Oliver 1955, pp. 533-536; Parkin 1954, p. 207; Schon- 

 wetter 1964, p. 570; Stildolph 1939, pp. 84-93; White 1915, p. 152. 



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