NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Large Hawk-Cuckoo
Hierococcyx sparverioides (Vigors, 1832)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Large hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides)_from Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary
PJeganathan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The large hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx sparverioides) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide breeding distribution from temperate Asia along the Himalayas extending to East Asia. Many populations winter further south. They are known for their loud and repetitive calls which are similar to that of the common hawk-cuckoo but do not rise in crescendo. They are also somewhat larger and adults can be readily told apart from the smaller common hawk-cuckoo by the black patch on the chin. They are brood-parasites of babblers and laughing-thrushes.
Wikipedia contributors, Large hawk-cuckoo; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:29:54.330589+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hierococcyx sparverioides (Vigors, 1832)
- Name authority
- (Vigors, 1832)
- Common name
- Large Hawk-Cuckoo
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Hierococcyx
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCuculiformes
- familyCuculidae
- genusHierococcyx S. Müller, 1845
- speciesHierococcyx sparverioides (Vigors, 1832)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hierococcyx. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Hawk-cuckooHierococcyx hyperythrus (Gould, 1856) | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hodgson's Hawk-CuckooHierococcyx nisicolor (Blyth, 1843) | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philippine Hawk-CuckooHierococcyx pectoralis Cabanis & Heine, 1863 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Moustached Hawk-CuckooHierococcyx vagans (S. Müller, 1845) | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cuculus sparverioides Vigors, 1832 Vigors, 1832 | synonym |
| Cuculus sparverioides sparverioides Vigors, 1832 Vigors, 1832 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1243744 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:CNWZL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.