Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 259-260.

Order CUCULIFORMES: Suborder CUCULI: Cuckoos An agreed phylogeny of the cuckoos and their relatives has not yet been achieved —see Christidis & Boles (2008) for the latest review of recent studies.

Family CUCULIDAE Leach: Cuckoos Subfamily CUCULINAE Leach: Parasitic Cuckoos Cuculidae Leach, 1819: Eleventh room. In Synopsis Contents British Museum 15th Edition, London: 66– Type genus Linnaeus, 1758.

Order of species follows Christidis & Boles (1994) and Mason (1997). Christidis & Boles (2008) approximately reversed the sequence of genera to Eudynamys, Scythrops, Chalcites, Cacomantis and Cuculus. We have not adopted this since the situation seems unstable and liable to further change.

Genus Cuculus Linnaeus Cuculus Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1: 110 – Type species (by tautonymy) Cuculus canorus Linnaeus. Heteroscenes Cabanis & Heine, 1863: Mus. Heineanum 4(1): 26 – Type species (by monotypy) Columba pallida Latham = Cuculus pallidus (Latham).

Cuculus pallidus (Latham) Pallid Columba pallida Latham, 1802: Index Ornith. Suppl.: lx – “Nouvelle-Hollande”, restricted to New South Wales, Australia (fide Mason 1997, Zool. Cat. Australia 37.2: 228). Cuculus pallidus (Latham); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 55. Cuculus (Heteroscenes) pallidus (Latham); Mason 1997, Zool. Cat. Australia 37.2: 228.

No subspecies. Breeds in southern parts of Australia, including Tasmania. Migratory; winters in inland and north Australia. Also found in southern New Guinea (occasionally) and Indonesia (Flores, Timor, Moluccas). Straggler to New Zealand region. Six records (Marples 1942a, Guest 1991, Higgins 1999: 664): Craig Flat, Otago (one seen between May and Oct. in 1939, 1940 and 1941, and then found dead); Okarito, Dec. 1941; Greymouth, Mar. 1942; Wairarapa, 1977; Omarama, Otago, Jan. 1990; Macquarie Island, Sep. 1990. The generic position is uncertain; Christidis & Boles (2008) placed this species in Cacomantis.