 Because it is so rare today, a considerable body of information on the Sumatran ground cuckoo comes only from the records of Tommaso Salvadori, the Italian ornithologist and zoologist who discovered it; there does not seem to have been much effort to learn more about the bird from locals.It is estimated by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species that the total population of Sumatran ground cuckoos ranges from 50 to 249 mature individuals, and its population is thought to be decreasing.It is considered one of the 100 most endangered bird species in the world.