Levaillant's Cuckoo
Clamator levaillantii
Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCuculiformes (Cuckoos)
- FamilyCuculidae (Cuckoos)
- GenusClamator (Old World Crested Cuckoos)
- SpeciesClamator levaillantii (Levaillant's Cuckoo)
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 →
Recent sightings of Levaillant's Cuckoo in Gorongosa National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Gorongosa National Park
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Clamator glandarius
White-browed Coucal
Centropus superciliosus
Red-chested Cuckoo
Cuculus solitarius
Senegal Coucal
Centropus senegalensis
Green Malkoha
Ceuthmochares australis
Black Cuckoo
Cuculus clamosus
African Emerald Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx cupreus
Dideric Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx caprius
Black Coucal
Centropus grillii
Klaas's Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx klaas
Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
Cercococcyx montanus
Thick-billed Cuckoo
Pachycoccyx audeberti
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Levaillant's Cuckoo in Gorongosa National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Levaillant's Cuckoo sighting in Gorongosa National Park, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Levaillant's Cuckoo in Gorongosa National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Levaillant's Cuckoo in Gorongosa National Park in our monthly data.