Oriental Cuckooshrike

The Oriental cuckooshrike is a large, sturdy cuckooshrike 23–30 cm long. Adults are mainly slate-grey, with a darker face and throat, blackish flight feathers, paler edging on the wings and a whitish belly and under-tail coverts. The bill is stout and dark. Females show extensive grey barring below, while young birds have brownish scaling or narrow bars. Its bulk separates it from the smaller black-winged and Indochinese cuckooshrikes (Hong Kong Bird Watching Society species account).

It is widely distributed from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia and southern China to Taiwan, Java and Bali. Two recognised subspecies occur in northern and southern parts of Indochina. The species inhabits moist lowland forest and evergreen broadleaved woodland, usually remaining in the canopy. Birds often perch openly at treetops and give a loud, screeching two-part call, sometimes while flying between crowns. Vietnam lies within the resident range of this forest species (Wikipedia, general species account; Hong Kong Bird Watching Society species account).