Levaillant's Cuckoo

Overview

Levaillant's cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii) is a resident breeding species found in Africa south of the Sahara. It is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of bulbuls and babblers, earning its name from the French explorer and ornithologist François Le Vaillant.

Identification

• Length of 37.5 cm with a longer tail and more heavily streaked throat than the pied cuckoo.
• Two colour morphs exist: a light morph that is black above with white primaries and rectrix tips, and a dark morph that is mostly black except for white primary patches and outer tail spots.
• Juveniles are brown above with rufous wing-coverts and rectrix tips, alongside a buff forehead, face and underparts.
• Vocalisations include a low ringing kuwu-weer, kuwu-weer... and an excited ku-wi-wi-wi.

Habitat

This species inhabits bushy habitats across Africa south of the Sahara. It is classified as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Did you know?

Unlike most cuckoos, the newly hatched chick of Levaillant's cuckoo does not eject other eggs or nestlings from the host's nest. The chick leaves the nest after approximately ten days and becomes independent within four to six weeks.