Bird Album
Black Cuckoo
Cuculus clamosus Latham, 1801
79 gWeight
The black cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae.
Most records: South Africa, Kenya, Uganda
Where and when it's recorded
Black Cuckoo has been recorded at 312 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 26 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Bobiri Butterfly SanctuaryGhana134 records
- Atewa Range – upland forest & ridgeGhana121 records
- Lake Nakuru NPKenya105 records
More places
- Polokwane GRSouth Africa105 records
- Zaagkuildrift RdSouth Africa102 records
- Bosque Científica – Selva PrimariaEquatorial Guinea97 records
- Walter Sisulu National Botanical GardenSouth Africa94 records
- Tsavo West NP – Ngulia LodgeKenya92 records
- Kakamega Forest NR – Rondo Retreat CentreKenya83 records
- Mkhuze GRSouth Africa83 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. The species is distributed widely across sub-Saharan Africa. There are two subspecies.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black Cuckoo?
The Black Cuckoo weighs around 79 g.
Where does the Black Cuckoo live?
Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Kenya and Uganda.
Is the Black Cuckoo endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Cuckoo as Least Concern.
What does the Black Cuckoo eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Black Cuckoo in?
It belongs to the family Cuckoos (Cuculidae), order Cuculiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 79 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 181 mm
- Tail
- 157 mm
- Bill
- 29 mm
- Tarsus
- 33 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuckoos Cuculidae
- Genus
- Cuculus
Other birds in the genus Cuculus
Red-chested CuckooCuculus solitarius
Lesser CuckooCuculus poliocephalus
Sulawesi CuckooCuculus crassirostris
Indian CuckooCuculus micropterus
Madagascar CuckooCuculus rochii
African CuckooCuculus gularis
Himalayan CuckooCuculus saturatus
Oriental CuckooCuculus optatus
Sunda CuckooCuculus lepidus
Common CuckooCuculus canorus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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