Black cuckoo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Black cuckoo
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Cuculus
Species:	clamosus

The black cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus) is a fascinating bird that belongs to the cuckoo family. You can find these birds living all across sub-Saharan Africa, which is the part of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. There are two main types, or subspecies, of the black cuckoo. This bird is very common and lives in a wide area. Because of this, it is listed as a least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.

What Does the Black Cuckoo Look Like?

The black cuckoo is a medium-sized bird. Male and female black cuckoos look quite similar. Their feathers, called plumage, can be a bit different depending on where they live.

Two Types of Black Cuckoos

There are two main subspecies of the black cuckoo:

• Cuculus clamosus clamosus: This type has shiny black feathers on its upper body. These feathers can look green in the light. Its wings are a slate-grey color. Its tail is black with a white tip. Sometimes, the outer tail feathers might have white or buff spots or stripes.
• Cuculus clamosus gabonensis: This type is mostly black. It has a bright red throat. Its belly has cool black and white stripes.

Where Do Black Cuckoos Live?

Black cuckoos live in different parts of Africa. Their homes, called habitat, are usually woodlands.

Resident and Migratory Birds

• The Cuculus clamosus gabonensis subspecies lives in Central Africa all year round. It does not move much.
• The Cuculus clamosus clamosus subspecies, found in Southern Africa, is a migratory bird. This means it travels! It breeds, or has its babies, in Southern Africa from September to December. Then, around March, it flies north to Central, Eastern, and West Africa.

Their Range

The black cuckoo's range is very large. It stretches from countries like Liberia in the west to Ethiopia in the east. It also goes south to Angola and South Africa.

Preferred Homes

These cuckoos love woodlands. However, they usually avoid the very thick parts of dense forests. They prefer places like:

• Acacia woodlands
• Thick bushes
• Woodlands along rivers
• Plantations (areas where trees are grown)
• Trees found around villages

What Do Black Cuckoos Eat?

The black cuckoo mainly eats insects. Its favorite food is hairy caterpillars.

Other Foods

Besides caterpillars, they also enjoy:

• Termites and ants (they can even catch winged ones while flying!)
• Beetles
• Grasshoppers
• Other types of insects

Sometimes, they might also eat birds' eggs or even tiny baby birds still in their nests.

How Do Black Cuckoos Raise Their Young?

The black cuckoo is a special kind of bird called a brood parasite. This means it does not build its own nest or raise its own chicks. Instead, it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds.

Foster Parents

The main birds that become "foster parents" for black cuckoo chicks are bushshrikes. Two common bushshrikes they use are the tropical boubou and the crimson-breasted shrike.

The Cuckoo Chick's Start

Here's how it works:

• When a black cuckoo lays an egg in a boubou's nest, the cuckoo egg hatches in about fourteen days.
• This is usually three days before the boubou's own eggs hatch!
• Once the cuckoo chick hatches, it quickly pushes out the other eggs and baby birds from the nest. This usually happens within 30 hours of it hatching.
• The cuckoo chick grows fast. It is ready to fly, or "fledged," in about sixteen days.
• It leaves the nest a few days after it can fly.
• Even after leaving the nest, the foster parents continue to feed the young cuckoo for about three more weeks.