CreatureData

Common hawk-cuckoo

Hierococcyx varius (Vahl, 1797)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) is a species in the family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes. Recorded adults weigh 103 g to 104 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius)
Photo: J.M.Garg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the common hawk-cuckoo

Weight
103 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the common hawk-cuckoo

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the common hawk-cuckoo live?

Not recorded

What is the common hawk-cuckoo?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius), popularly known as the brainfever bird, is a medium-sized cuckoo resident in the Indian subcontinent. It bears a close resemblance to the shikra, even in its style of flying and landing on a perch. The resemblance to hawks gives this group the generic name of hawk-cuckoo; like many other cuckoos, these are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of babblers. During their breeding season in summer males produce loud, repetitive three-note calls that are well-rendered as brain-fever, the second note being longer and higher pitched. These notes rise to a crescendo before ending abruptly and repeat after a few minutes; the calling may go on through the day, well after dusk and before dawn.

From the Wikipedia article “Common hawk-cuckoo” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_hawk-cuckoo&oldid=1379599799), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the common hawk-cuckoo sound like?

L. Shyamal · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the common hawk-cuckoo endangered?

The common hawk-cuckoo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the common hawk-cuckoo classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderCuculiformes
  5. familyCuculidae
  6. genusHierococcyx
  7. SpeciesHierococcyx varius (Vahl, 1797)

Synonyms Cuculus varius

Other names and names in other languages (43)
  • Common hawk cuckooEnglish
  • Common hawk cuckooEnglish
  • Common hawk cuckooEnglish
  • وقاق الباز الشائعArabic
  • cucut shikraCatalan
  • kukačka pestráCzech
  • kukačka jestřábíCzech
  • HøgegøgDanish
  • WechselkuckuckGerman
  • ordinara akcipitrokukoloEsperanto
  • Cuco chikraSpanish
  • india haugaskäguEstonian
  • haukkakäkiFinnish
  • Coucou shikraFrench
  • Seabhac-chuachIrish
  • બપૈયોGujarati
  • indijska kukavicaCroatian
  • közönséges karvalykakukkHungarian
  • Cuculastore comuneItalian
  • Cuculo sparviero comuneItalian
  • ハイタカジュウイチJapanese
  • paprastoji vanaginė gegutėLithuanian
  • parastā vanagdzeguzeLatvian
  • പേക്കുയിൽMalayalam
  • पावशाMarathi
  • Indische SperwerkoekoekDutch
  • shikragjøkNorwegian
  • kukułka rudopręgaPolish
  • cuco-falcão-indianoPortuguese
  • cuco-gavião-indianoPortuguese
  • Изменчивая кукушкаRussian
  • Индийская ястребиная кукушкаRussian
  • kukučka krahulčiaSlovak
  • Obična jastrebasta kukavicaSerbian
  • indisk hökgökSwedish
  • அக்காக்குயில்Tamil
  • அக்காக்குருவிTamil
  • นกคัคคูเหยี่ยวพันธุ์อินเดียThai
  • Hint Atmaca GuguğuTurkish
  • Bayağı atmaca guguğuTurkish
  • зозуля білогорлаUkrainian
  • 普通鷹鵑Chinese
  • 普通鹰鹃Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the common hawk-cuckoo

Other species in the same genus Hierococcyx.

CompareCommon hawk-cuckoo vs Large hawk-cuckooCommon hawk-cuckoo vs Malayan hawk-cuckooCommon hawk-cuckoo vs Moustached hawk-cuckooCommon hawk-cuckoo vs Northern hawk-cuckoo

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the common hawk-cuckoo?

An adult common hawk-cuckoo weighs 103 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the common hawk-cuckoo endangered?

The common hawk-cuckoo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the common hawk-cuckoo?

The common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) belongs to the family Cuculidae in the order Cuculiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-hawk-cuckoo

MLA

“Common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-hawk-cuckoo.

BibTeX
@misc{common_hawk_cuckoo_2026,
  title = {Common hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-hawk-cuckoo},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}