Appearance

The Striped Cuckoo is a medium-sized, brown cuckoo. It has a short but bushy, reddish brown crest that is streaked with black, and a long, graduated tail. The brown upperparts are heavily streaked with black; the underparts are unmarked, and buff to white in color.

No similar species of cuckoo is expected in the relatively open habitats favored by the Striped Cuckoo. The two species of Dromococcyx, the Pheasant and Pavonine cuckoos, both are larger than the Striped Cuckoo (although the size difference is much greater between Pheasant and Striped; Pavonine is closer in size to Striped). Both species of Dromococcyx also are found in more forested habitats; their upperparts are scaled, not streaked with black; and the crowns of the Dromococcyx are not streaked. Also, the breast of the Pheasant Cuckoo is heavily speckled with black or dusky spots.

Adult: Sexes alike. Upperparts, including crest which tends toward more rufous, dull ochraceous streaked with buff and black; alula large and black; wing brown to rufous; upper tail coverts light rufous becoming dark brown; tail long, graduated and dark brown; face with white eyebrow and black whisker lines; underparts whitish with narrow black malar streak; throat and breast with black streaks; belly white (Ridgway 1916, Wetmore 1968, Payne 2005).
Juvenile: Generally similar to adult; crown black with buff spots, upperparts rufous brown streaked buff and black; alula, upper wing coverts and upper tail coverts with buff spots; underparts buff with fine black bars on throat and breast, belly white with small dark spots.

No information.

Data from Ridgway (1916):

Iris brown to yellowish.

Maxilla deep brownish; mandible lighter brown or dull yellowish.

Tarsi horn blue.

Data from Payne (2005):

Wing (male): 103 - 125 mm (n =47)

Wing (female): 101 - 121 mm (n= 31)

Tail (male):  143 - 190 mm

Tail (female): 136 - 194 mm

Bill (male): 16.4 - 21.7 mm

Bill (female): 15.2 - 22.6 mm

Tarsus (male): 25.5 - 36.1 mm

Tarsus (female): 26.7 - 34.1 mm

Mass (male): 49.4 g (range 40 - 56 g, n = 8)

Mass (female): 51.1 g (range 41 - 59 g n = 7)