White-browed Coucal

Overview

The white-browed coucal, also known as the lark-heeled cuckoo, is a medium-sized species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is native to eastern and southern Africa, as well as the southwestern Arabian Peninsula, and is considered a common species of least concern by the IUCN.

Identification

• Length of 36 to 42 cm with sexes appearing similar.- Blackish crown and nape contrasting with a distinct white supercilium.- Rufous-brown back, chestnut wings, and a blackish rump.- Black tail glossed with green and tipped with white.- Creamy-white underparts, red eyes, black beak, and greyish-black or black legs.- Juveniles feature rufous streaking on the crown and barred upper parts.

Habitat

Found in sub-Saharan Africa, eastern and southern Africa, and the southwestern Arabian Peninsula, specifically in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. It inhabits areas with thick cover afforded by rank undergrowth and scrub, including suitable coastal regions.

Did you know?

This species is also referred to as the lark-heeled cuckoo. Burchell's coucal is sometimes considered a subspecies of the white-browed coucal.