Levaillant's Cuckoo
Levaillant's CuckooLevaillant's CuckooLevaillant's CuckooLevaillant's Cuckoo

Levaillant's Cuckoo

Clamator levaillantii

Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Etosha National Park
13 Verified sightings at Etosha National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,750 Verified sightings across all 43 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Levaillant's Cuckoo

Levaillant's cuckoo (Clamator levaillantii) 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.

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. The juvenile Levaillant's cuckoo is brown above, rufous on the wing-coverts and rectrix tips, with a buff forehead, face and underparts, and the throat more streaked. The call is a low ringing kuwu-weer, kuwu-weer... and an excited ku-wi-wi-wi.

Levaillant's cuckoo is a brood parasite and the female lays her eggs in the nest of another species of bird, typically the southern pied babbler (Turdoides bicolor... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park

Great Spotted Cuckoo
LC

Great Spotted Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Clamator glandarius

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Jacobin Cuckoo
LC

Jacobin Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Clamator jacobinus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
African Cuckoo
LC

African Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cuculus gularis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Cuckoo
LC

Black Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cuculus clamosus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Senegal Coucal
LC

Senegal Coucal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Centropus senegalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Dideric Cuckoo
LC

Dideric Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chrysococcyx caprius

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Common Cuckoo
LC

Common Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cuculus canorus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Klaas's Cuckoo
LC

Klaas's Cuckoo

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chrysococcyx klaas

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
2 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
3 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
4 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
5 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
6 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
7 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
8 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
10 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
11 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
12 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
13 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
14 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
15 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
16 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
17 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
18 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
19 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
<5%
20 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
21 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
<5%
22 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
23 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
24 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
25 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
27 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
28 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
29 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
30 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
31 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
32 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
33 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
34 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
35 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
36 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
37 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
38 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
39 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
40 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
41 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
42 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
43 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Levaillant's Cuckoo in Etosha National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Levaillant's Cuckoo sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Levaillant's Cuckoo in Etosha National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Levaillant's Cuckoo in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.

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