BIRDS OF THE OPEN FOREST 
75 
8. Pallid Cuckoo Cuculus pallidus Latham 
Cu-cu-lus •—L., cuculus, cuckoo: pall'-id-us — L., pallidus, pallid. 
Distribution. —Australia generally, and Tasmania. 
Notes. —Also called Grasshopper Hawk, Harbinger-of-Spring, Storm- 
bird, Semitone-bird, Scale-bird, and Brain-fever bird. Usually met singly; 
arrives in August and departs during February. It has an undulating and 
rapid flight with the true cuckoo habit of elevating its tail when alighting. 
Call, a series of loud crescendo notes, ascending the scale, varied occa¬ 
sionally with a few harsh notes. One of the most useful of birds, destroy¬ 
ing large numbers of insects and their larvae. Caterpillars form the chief 
article of diet, especially those covered with hair-like bristles which few 
species of birds eat. 
Parasitic —known foster-parents number about eighty-four species 
(chiefly Honey-eaters). Usually selects as foster-parents species that 
build open nests. 
Egg -—Uniform flesh colour; some have a few dots of a darker hue 
scattered over the shell. Breeding-season: September to January (New 
South Wales). 
9. Oriental Cuckoo Cuculus optatus Gould 
op-td-tus —L., optatus , wished for. 
Distribution. —Northern Australia, and accidental to south-eastern 
Australia; also found in Siberia, India, to New Guinea. 
Notes. Very little is known of this Cuckoo, except that it is seldom 
found far from the coast. It is remarkably shy and solitary in habits, and 
its call is not unlike that of the Pallid Cuckoo. 
Parasitic. 
Egg. —Unknown in Australia. 
10. Sacred Kingfisher Halcyon sanctus Vigors and Horsfield 
Hal -cy-on— Gk, ale yon, a sea-bird, later the kingfisher; hal, the sea; cyon 
breeding; sane-tus—L., sanctus, sacred. 
Distribution. Australia (except central Australia and Tasmania); 
Zealand S ° ^ Umatra ’ Borneo < New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and New 
r, iV o/ev.-- AIso called Wood Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher, Tree King- 
G i een N^sher Usually in pairs, arrives in August or earfy 
llrSP departS -T March ' 0dd P airs often remain throughout the 
the ndt h V a P -fT h aote . usuall y uttered four times, frequently during 
an intr ler FnS harsd c . nes ' f ° c n< ; approaches its nest, and will attack 
an mtruder. Food: small lizards, fish, crabs, and larger insects and their 
in a •n mb l ° f , a . tre( ; or in a termites’ (white ants) nest 
V 1 ? turds drill a hole in the termites’ nest bv piercing it with 
he fips of their closed bills. After the entrance is formed they Excavate 
a chamber large enough to accommodate themselves and family. 
ber to j£uar I y° Ur t0 PUrC WWte and rounded - Breeding-season: Octo- 
