[2] The pavonine cuckoo inhabits the understorey of subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests in South America, where it is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.

The tail is spread and the wingbeats are slow and measured, and there is a brief pause when they are at the top of their beat above the bird.

[2] The pavonine cuckoo is a brood parasite, a rare breeding strategy in the Amazon.

As with other parasitic cuckoos, parental care of eggs and young is provided by the host species.

The population trend is likely to be downward but not at such a rate as to justify putting this bird in a more threatened category.