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cuckoo from Ping Long, Lam Tsuen

I would say that this is an Oriental/Horsefield's rather than Common.

Not much of the underpart barring is showing (only the sides of the breast), and although this looks a little narrow there is a tendancy for the barring to be slightly narrower on the sides of the breast in most adult cuculus cuckoos.  I spent some time at the British Museum last year looking at specimens of these species (as part of the review of the first record of Common Cuckooon Po Toi) and i was stuck by the differences in the throat.  In Common the throat patch is paler (less blue) and has a lower border which is usually not well defined.  In Horsefields/Oriental the throat patch is darker, slightly bluer and typically has a very defined lower border.

Typical examples of each can be found at:

Horsefield's:

http://orientalbirdimages.org/se ... _ID=&pagesize=1

Common:

http://orientalbirdimages.org/se ... _ID=&pagesize=1

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Iris colour varies extensively with age, generally getting paler and yellower with age.  Photos of the Po Toi Common Cuckoo (an adult) show an orange-brown iris.

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