• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic note
C. lepidus (Payne 2005, del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously included alongside C. optatus within C. saturatus (following Sibley & Monroe (1990. 1993)), but was split from latter (using published diagnosis and measurements (King 2005)) on account of smaller size (effect size for wing length –5.66; score 3); slightly darker grey coloration above (1); rich buff (usually plain) vs pale (usually barred) undertail-coverts (1); thicker dark bars on underparts (1); higher-pitched territorial song with usually three notes rather than four (2). Bornean population formerly recognized as a distinct subspecies, insulindae, but considered indistinguishable from populations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Java. Monotypic.

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
Payne, R. B. 2005. The cuckoos. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K.

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified, but is thought to be large as the species is described as common in at least parts of its range (Payne 2005). This species is considered to have a high dependency on forest habitat, and tree cover is estimated to have declined by 4.6% within its mapped range over the past three generations (Global Forest Watch 2022, using Hansen et al. [2013] data and methods disclosed therein). It is therefore tentatively suspected that this rate of cover loss may have led to a decline of between 1-19% in the species' population size over the same time frame, with a best estimate of reduction being less than 5%.

Trend justification:   .

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Sunda Cuckoo Cuculus lepidus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/sunda-cuckoo-cuculus-lepidus on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.