Bird Guide

Black Cuckoo vs Common Cuckoo

Black Cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus)

Black Cuckoo

Cuculus clamosus

Medium79 gForest

The black cuckoo is a medium-sized cuckoo. The sexes are similar, the plumage varying by subspecies; Cuculus clamosus clamosus has upper parts black glossed with green, slatey-grey wings and black tail tipped with white and sometimes with the outer feathers barred or spotted with white or buff; Cuculus clamosus gabonensis is mostly black with a red throat and black and white barring on the belly.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: le0p0ld_d · CC BY 4.0
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Common Cuckoo

Cuculus canorus

Medium111 gForest

The common cuckoo is 32–34 centimetres (13–13 in) long from bill to tail, with a tail of 13–15 centimetres (5.1–5.9 in) and a wingspan of 55–60 centimetres (22–24 in). The legs are short. It has a greyish, slender body and long tail, similar to a sparrowhawk in flight, where the wingbeats are regular. During the breeding season, common cuckoos often settle on an open perch with drooped wings and raised tail. There is a rufous colour morph, which occurs occasionally in adult females but more often in juveniles.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Common Cuckoo
Recorded by Christian Kahle · Uncertain · Schneverdingen, Germany · CC0
Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black Cuckoo and Common Cuckoo.