Cuculidae / 杜鵑科 (Dù-juān kē)

杜鹃科 Dù-juān kē * ホトトギス科 Hototogisu-ka * 뻐꾸기과 Ppeokkugi-gwa * Họ Cu cu

General names

Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections welcome.

There is considerable variety in names for the cuckoos in Chinese. The best known name is 杜鹃 dù-juān, generally used for cuckoos of the genus Cuculus. The character juān is also used in combination for the official names of several cuculid species.

The Taiwanese official names preserve (or until recently preserved) some alternative names for the cuckoos, including 布穀 bùgǔ for the Common Cuckoo (now changed to 大杜鵑 dà dùjuān 'large cuckoo') and 郭公 guōgōng for Clamator. As is common in other languages, both of these names are onomatopaeic in nature.

A plethora of other names exists, both literary and colloquial in nature, including 子規 zǐ -guī, 杜宇 dù-yǔ, 催歸 cuī -guī ('urge return'), 思歸鳥 sī-guī-niǎo ('think of return bird'), 鶗鴂 or 鵜鴂 tíjué (an old name), 謝豹 xiè-bào ('thank leopard' ?), 自自黑儿 zì-zì-hēir or 子子黑儿 zǐ-zǐ-hēir (colloquial), and 喀咕 kēgū (kāgū?). The poetic name 蜀魂 shǔ-hún ('spirit of Shu') refers to a legend that the king of Shu (modern-day Sichuan), having failed to mitigate natural calamities, withdrew to the forests and bequeathed his soul to the cuckoo, which returns every year with its plaintive cries.

The coucals are popularly known in Chinese as 毛雞 máo-jī 'hairy fowl'. The official name 番鵑 fān-juān 'foreign cuckoo' reflects an identification with cuckoos. When Centropus sinensis was added to the list of Taiwanese birds, the Mainland name 褐翅鴉鵑 hè-chì yā-juān 'brown-winged crow cuckoo' was adopted. As a result, Taiwan now officially uses two different names for the coucals, 番鵑 fān-juān and 鴉鵑 yā-juān. With the recent tendency for Taiwanese names to move closer to Mainland names, the odds are that 鴉鵑 yā-juān will win out eventually.

Some Japanese influence is discernible in the Taiwanese names. 郭公 guōgōng, although a name of Chinese origin, is used under Japanese influence. The curious word 番鵑 fān-juān is not obviously Japanese, being either a Chinese word borrowed into Japanese, or a Japanese word created on the basis of Chinese models. The only clearly Japanese word in the list is 筒鳥 tǒng-niǎo 'tube bird', which has now been discarded.

Species names

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CUCULINAE
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH
CHINESE
JAPANESE
OTHER
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Mainland)
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
Clamator                
Clamator coromandus
link to photo
Chestnut-winged cuckoo
Red-winged crested cuckoo
冠郭公
guàn guōgōng
'crested guogong'
紅翅鳳頭鵑
hóng-chì fèng-tóu juān
'red-winged phoenix-headed cuckoo'
  カンムリカッコウ
(冠郭公)
kanmuri kakkō
'crested cuckoo'
  밤색날개뻐꾸기
bamsaeng-nalgae-ppeokkugi
'chestnut-winged cuckoo'
Khát nước
'water thirsty'
Cuculus                
Cuculus sparverioides
Hierococcyx sparverioides
link to photolink to photo
Large hawk-cuckoo
Large hawk cuckoo
鷹鵑
yīng-juān
'hawk cuckoo'
鷹鵑
yīng-juān
'hawk cuckoo'
鷹頭杜鵑
yīng-tóu dùjuān
'hawk-headed cuckoo'
オオジュウイチ
(大十一)
ō jū-ichi
'large ju-ichi' (see jū-ichi below)
  큰매사촌
keun-mae-sachon
'large hawk cousin'
Chèo chẹo lớn
'large cheo cheo'
Cuculus fugax
Hierococcyx fugax
link to photo
Hodgson's hawk-cuckoo
Fugitive hawk cuckoo
棕腹杜鵑
zōng fù dù-juān
'reddish-brown-bellied cuckoo'
棕腹杜鵑
zōng fù dù-juān
'reddish-brown-bellied cuckoo'
  ジュウイチ
(十一)
jū-ichi
'ju-ichi' (from the bird's cry), written 'eleven'
    Chèo chẹo nhỏ
'small cheo cheo'
Cuculus micropterus
link to photo
Indian cuckoo
Short-winged cuckoo
四聲杜鵑
sì-shēng dù-juān
'four-voiced cuckoo'
四聲杜鵑
sì-shēng dù-juān
'four-voiced cuckoo'
布穀
bùgǔ
'bugu'
光棍好過
guānggùn hǎo guò
'bachelor lives well'
光棍背鈕
guānggùn bèi niu
'bachelor back button ?'
快快割麥
kuài kuài gē mài
'hurry and reap the wheat'
花喀咕
huā kēgū (huā kāgū)
'flowery kegu/kagu'
印度喀咕
Yìndù kēgū (Yìndù kāgū)
'Indian kegu/kagu'
刮鍋
guā guō
'scrape pot'
セグロカッコウ
(背黒郭公)
se-guro kakkō
'black-backed cuckoo'
  검은등뻐꾸기
geomeun-deung-ppeokkugi
'black-backed cuckoo'
Bắt cô trói cột
'bat co troi cot'
Cuculus canorus
link to photolink to photolink to photo
Common cuckoo
or
Eurasian cuckoo
Cuckoo
大杜鵑
dà dùjuān
'large cuckoo'
布穀
bùgǔ
'bugu' (former official name)
大杜鵑
dà dùjuān
'large cuckoo'
布穀鳥
bùgǔ-niǎo
'bugu bird'
郭公
guōgōng
'guo gong' (characters mean 'city outer wall' + 'public')
杜鵑
dùjuān
'cuckoo'
カッコウ
(郭公)
kakkō
'cuckoo'(onomatopoeic, characters' meaning = 'city outer wall' + 'public')
カンコドリ
(閑古鳥)
kanko-dori
'kanko bird' (characters mean 'idle' + 'old')
ガッポウドリ
(合法鳥)
gappō-dori
'gappo bird' (onomatopoeic, written 'accord with-the-law bird')
カッコウドリ
(郭公鳥)
kakkō-dori
'cuckoo bird'
See Hiraizumi
뻐꾸기
ppeokkugi
'cuckoo'
Cu cu
'cuckoo'
Cuculus saturatus
link to photolink to photolink to photo
Himalayan cuckoo
Oriental cuckoo
中杜鵑
zhōng dù-juān
'medium cuckoo'
筒鳥
tǒng-niǎo
'tube bird' (former official name)
中杜鵑
zhōng dù-juān
'medium cuckoo'
中喀咕
zhōng kēgū (zhōng kāgū)
'medium kegu'
ツツドリ
(筒鳥)
tsutsu-dori
'tube bird' (cry resembles sound of hitting a tube or pipe)
ポンポンドリ
(ぽんぽん鳥)
ponpon-dori
'ponpon bird' (onomatopoeic)
See Hiraizumi
벙어리뻐꾸기
beongeori-ppeokkugi
'mute cuckoo'
Cu cu Phương đông
'Oriental cuckoo' (13)
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Mainland)
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
Cuculus poliocephalus
link to photolink to photo
Lesser cuckoo
Small cuckoo
小杜鵑
xiǎo dù-juān
'small cuckoo'
小杜鵑
xiǎo dù-juān
'small cuckoo'
  ホトトギス
(時鳥, 子規, 杜鵑, 不如帰, 郭公)
hototogisu
'hototogisu' (written 1. 'time bird, 2. shiki (from Chinese), 3. token, from Chinese, 4. funyoki = better-go-back', 5. kakko, see Cuculus canorus above).
アヤメドリ
(文目鳥)
ayame-dori
'fine pattern bird'
イモセドリ
(妹背鳥)
imo-se-dori
'man and wife bird' (court women's language)
タソガレドリ
(黄昏鳥)
tasogare-dori
'twilight bird'
タマサカドリ
(偶鳥)
tamasaka-dori
'occasional bird'
ウヅキドリ
(卯月鳥)
uzuki-dori
'fourth month bird'
サナエドリ
(早苗鳥)
sanae-dori
'rice sprouts bird'
カンノウチョウ
(勧農鳥)
kannō-chō
'promote agriculture bird'
タマムカエドリ
(魂迎え鳥)
tama-mukae-dori
'spirit-greeting bird' (refers to a traditional custom of greeting returning spirits during summer)
シデノタオサ
(死出田長)
shi-de no ta-osa
'king of the fields of the road to death'
タオサドリ
(田長鳥)
ta-osa-dori
'king of the fields bird'
トウ
(杜宇)
to-u
'to-u' (from Chinese)
ショッコン
(蜀魂)
shokkon
'spirit of Shu' (ancient kingdom of China)
シキ
(子規)
shiki
'shiki' (from Chinese)
トケン
(杜鵑)
token
'token' (from Chinese)
See Hiraizumi
두견이
dugyeoni
'dugyeoni'
Cu cu nhỏ
'small cuckoo'
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Mainland)
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
Cacomantis                
Cacomantis merulinus
Cuculus merulinus
Plaintive cuckoo 八聲杜鵑
bā-shēng dù-juān
'eight-voiced cuckoo'
八聲杜鵑
bā-shēng dù-juān
'eight-voiced cuckoo'
八聲喀咕
bā-shēng kēgū (bā-shēng kāgū)
'eight-voiced kegu/kagu'
八聲悲鵑
bā-shēng bēi-juān
'eight-voiced sad cuckoo'
紅嘴哀聲喀咕
hóng-zuǐ āi-shēng kēgū (hóng-zuǐ āi-shēng kāgū)
'red-billed sad-voiced kegu/kagu'
ヒメカッコウ
(姫郭公)
hime kakkō
'princess cuckoo'
    Tìm vịt
'tim vit'
Surniculus                
Surniculus lugubris
link to photo
Asian drongo-cuckoo
Drongo cuckoo
Drongo-cuckoo
烏鵑
wū-juān
'dark cuckoo'
烏鵑
wū-juān
'dark cuckoo'
  オウチュウカッコウ
(烏秋郭公)
ōchū kakkō
'drongo cuckoo'
  검은두견이
geomeun-dugyeoni
'black dugyeoni'
Cu cu đen
'black cuckoo'
Eudynamys                
Eudynamys scolopaceus
Eudynamys scolopacea
link to photolink to photo
Common koel
or
Asian koel
Koel
噪鵑
zào-juān
'noisy cuckoo'
噪鵑
zào-juān
'noisy cuckoo'
  オニカッコウ
(鬼郭公)
oni kakkō
'ogre cuckoo'
  초록부리뻐꾸기
chorok-buri-ppeokkugi
'grass-green-billed cuckoo'
or
쇠부엉이
soe-bueongi
'small bueongi (=long-eared owl)'
Tu hú
'tu hu'
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Mainland)
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
 
CENTROPODINAE
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH
CHINESE
JAPANESE
OTHER
Latin
English
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese (Mainland)
Other Ch
Japanese
Other J
Korean
Vietnamese
Centropus                
Centropus sinensis
link to photolink to photo
Greater coucal
Common crow-pheasant
Common coucal
Crow-pheasant
褐翅鴉鵑
hè-chì yā-juān
'brown-winged crow cuckoo'
褐翅鴉鵑
hè-chì yā-juān
'brown-winged crow cuckoo'
毛雞
máo-jī
'hairy fowl'
大毛雞
dà máo-jī
'large hairy fowl'
大紅毛雞
dà hóng máo-jī
'large red hairy fowl'
オオバンケン
(大番鵑)
ō banken
'large foreign cuckoo'
    Bìm bịp lờn
'large bim bip'
Centropus bengalensis
link to photo
Lesser coucal
Lesser crow-pheasant
番鵑
fān-juān
'foreign cuckoo'
小鴉鵑
xiǎo yā-juān
'small crow cuckoo' (1, 2, 3, 4)
印度小鴉鵑
Yìndù xiǎo yā-juān
'Indian small crow cuckoo' (5)
|Note|
小毛雞
xiǎo máo-jī
'small hairy fowl'
小紅毛雞
xiǎo hóng máo-jī
'small red hairy fowl'
小黄峰
xiǎo huáng fēng
'small yellow peak'
バンケン
(番鵑)
banken
'foreign cuckoo'
  쿠칼
kukar
'kukar'
Bìm bịp nhỏ
'small bim bip'
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