Levaillant's Cuckoo
Clamator levaillantii
The Levaillant's Cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii) is a uncommon cuckoo found in 37 countries, weighing about 122 g. Levaillant's cuckoo is a cuckoo which is a resident breeding species in Africa south of the Sahara.
About the Levaillant's Cuckoo
Levaillant's cuckoo is a cuckoo which is a resident breeding species in Africa south of the Sahara. It is found in bushy habitats. It is a brood parasite, using the nests of bulbuls and babblers. It was named in honour of the French explorer, collector and ornithologist, François Le Vaillant.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The cuckoo is 37.5 cm (15 in) long, longer tailed than pied cuckoo, and with a more heavily streaked throat. There are two colour morphs. The light morph is black above, faintly glossed bluish or greenish. The throat streaking may extend on to the sides. The primaries and rectrix tips are white. The dark morph is black except for the white primary patch and white spots on the outer tail feathers (these are absent in dark pied cuckoo.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, October, November, December, with peak activity in November. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Levaillant's Cuckoo?
- The cuckoo is 37.5 cm (15 in) long, longer tailed than pied cuckoo, and with a more heavily streaked throat. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Levaillant's Cuckoo?
- The Levaillant's Cuckoo is a medium sized bird weighing about 122 g.
- Where can you see a Levaillant's Cuckoo?
- The Levaillant's Cuckoo occurs in 37 countries, including South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana and Botswana.
- What birds look similar to a Levaillant's Cuckoo?
- The Levaillant's Cuckoo is most easily confused with the Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, the Great Spotted Cuckoo and the Jacobin Cuckoo.
- Is the Levaillant's Cuckoo endangered?
- The Levaillant's Cuckoo is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Levaillant's Cuckoo for real
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