Lepotospermum scoparium by rivers or forests or mountainous areas. Occasionally can be found in recreational parks, residential areas and gardens. In New Zealand the cuckoos live mainly in native forest, particularly up in the canopy. They also live in exotic pine plantations, scrub, cultivated land and suburban gardens. In the Pacific islands they live in lowland forest, gardens and coconut plantations. Individuals are usually solitary. The long-tailed cuckoo breeds only in New Zealand, where it is resident in the warmer months, from early October until February or March, sometimes April and occasionally later. The length of an average one-way journey from New Zealand to Polynesia is around 2500-3500 kilometers and thus travel over 6000 kilometers. For winter it migrates to islands right across the southern Pacific. It is found year-round on the Kermadec Islands, the Norfolk Island group and the Lord Howe Island group, which are subtropical islands part way between the New Zealand mainland and the tropical Pacific Islands. The spread of its winter distribution is extraordinarily wide, stretching almost 11,000 km from Palau in the west to Pitcairn Island. Over most of its winter range, it is known by the indigenous name, (or local variations of this). In spring, the bird's routes of migration would almost certainly have served to guide the Polynesian ancestors of Māori to find New Zealand. Behaviour Breeding Long-tailed cuckoo have many partners during their lifetime. They mate and break-up easily. Males gain attraction from females through spanning their wings and fluttering them whilst calling. Male cuckoo have a high pitched sound and they are very territorial. You will hear them calling either to make known their territory to other birds or as a call for a mate. Female cuckoo are similar in their vocal intensity. Their behaviour is sexual and combative when mating. Male often display their wings or their ability to fly well when looking for a mate. Cuckoos do not build their own nest or rear their young. The species is a brood parasite laying its eggs in the nests of Mohoua species mostly – whiteheads (M. albicilla) in the North Island and yellowheads (M. ochrocephala) and brown creepers (M. novaeseelandiae) in the South Island. They also lay in robin (Petroica australis longpipes) and tomtit (Petroica macrocephala toitoi) nests. The eggs hatch before those of the host and the young chicks eject the eggs of the host. Long-tailed cuckoo chicks are