Levaillant's Cuckoo
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:34 pm
381. Levaillant's Cuckoo (Formerly known as Striped Cuckoo) Clamator levaillantii (Gestreepte Nuwejaarsvoël)
Order: Cuculiformes. Family: Cuculidae
Description
37.5 cm. Black above, faintly glossed bluish or greenish. Black crest. White patch on black wings. Dull white below, streaked on throat and breast, less obvious streaking on flanks and thighs.
Adult pied morph: Head and upper parts black with greenish sheen, most apparent on wing, tail coverts and tail. Tail strongly graduated, outer 2 pairs of rectrices broadly tipped white in fresh plumage. Primaries black, white on basal half visible on folded wing as conspicuous, broad (20-30 mm) white patch. Underparts creamy or greyish white, streaked black on throat and breast, streaks narrower and more widely spaced on belly. Much individual variation in streaking below; throat and breast lightly or heavily streaked, thighs and flanks plain or variably streaked. Bill black. Eyes brown. Legs and feet bluish grey.
Juveniles are brown to rufous on upperparts, have dark brown wings with a white patch, a grey-brown tail and are whitish to buffy on underparts with dull brown chin to breast.
Similar species: Jacobin Cuckoo is smaller and unstreaked on underparts.
Distribution
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding arid areas. In southern Africa it is uncommon in northern Namibia, northern and southern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and north-eastern South Africa.
Habitat
Savanna and woodland.
Movement and migrations
Intra-African breeding migrant, arriving in southern Africa from October-November, going through its full breeding cycle before departing around March-April.
Diet
It eats mainly caterpillars, occasionally supplemented with other insects or fruit.
Breeding
It is a brood parasite, meaning that it lays its eggs in other birds nests. The host, thinking that the egg is its own, incubates the egg and cares for the chick. Southern Pied Babbler, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Hartlaub's Babbler, Arrow-marked Babbler have been recorded to be parasitized by the Levaillant's Cuckoo. Egg-laying season is from October-May. It is difficult for the female to lay an egg in the host nest, as they usually attack cuckoos vigorously. In order to distract them, both sexes fly around acrobatically, provoking a group attack from the hosts. The male takes the brunt of the attack, while the female endeavours to lay an egg in the nest, after which both sexes retreat, with the host birds hot in pursuit. The chick hatches after an incubation period of about 11-13 days, remaining in the nest for around 9-10 days. Unlike many other cuckoos, the chick does not kill the host nestlings. It learns to fly soon after leaving, becoming fully independent at about 29-42 days old.
Call
The call is a low ringing kuwu-weer, kuwu-weer... and an excited ku-wi-wi-wi. Listen to Bird Call.
Status
Locally common summer visitor.
Order: Cuculiformes. Family: Cuculidae
Description
37.5 cm. Black above, faintly glossed bluish or greenish. Black crest. White patch on black wings. Dull white below, streaked on throat and breast, less obvious streaking on flanks and thighs.
Adult pied morph: Head and upper parts black with greenish sheen, most apparent on wing, tail coverts and tail. Tail strongly graduated, outer 2 pairs of rectrices broadly tipped white in fresh plumage. Primaries black, white on basal half visible on folded wing as conspicuous, broad (20-30 mm) white patch. Underparts creamy or greyish white, streaked black on throat and breast, streaks narrower and more widely spaced on belly. Much individual variation in streaking below; throat and breast lightly or heavily streaked, thighs and flanks plain or variably streaked. Bill black. Eyes brown. Legs and feet bluish grey.
Juveniles are brown to rufous on upperparts, have dark brown wings with a white patch, a grey-brown tail and are whitish to buffy on underparts with dull brown chin to breast.
Similar species: Jacobin Cuckoo is smaller and unstreaked on underparts.
Distribution
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding arid areas. In southern Africa it is uncommon in northern Namibia, northern and southern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and north-eastern South Africa.
Habitat
Savanna and woodland.
Movement and migrations
Intra-African breeding migrant, arriving in southern Africa from October-November, going through its full breeding cycle before departing around March-April.
Diet
It eats mainly caterpillars, occasionally supplemented with other insects or fruit.
Breeding
It is a brood parasite, meaning that it lays its eggs in other birds nests. The host, thinking that the egg is its own, incubates the egg and cares for the chick. Southern Pied Babbler, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Hartlaub's Babbler, Arrow-marked Babbler have been recorded to be parasitized by the Levaillant's Cuckoo. Egg-laying season is from October-May. It is difficult for the female to lay an egg in the host nest, as they usually attack cuckoos vigorously. In order to distract them, both sexes fly around acrobatically, provoking a group attack from the hosts. The male takes the brunt of the attack, while the female endeavours to lay an egg in the nest, after which both sexes retreat, with the host birds hot in pursuit. The chick hatches after an incubation period of about 11-13 days, remaining in the nest for around 9-10 days. Unlike many other cuckoos, the chick does not kill the host nestlings. It learns to fly soon after leaving, becoming fully independent at about 29-42 days old.
Call
The call is a low ringing kuwu-weer, kuwu-weer... and an excited ku-wi-wi-wi. Listen to Bird Call.
Status
Locally common summer visitor.