Red-chested Cuckoo
Cuculus solitarius
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)
- GenusCuculus (Typical Old World Cuckoos)
- SpeciesCuculus solitarius (Red-chested Cuckoo)
About the Red-chested Cuckoo
The red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is a medium-sized bird found in Africa, south of the Sahara. In Afrikaans, it is known as "Piet-my-vrou", after its call. The red-chested cuckoo is a medium-size cuckoo about 31 cm (12.2 in) in length. The male has slate-grey upper parts, pale grey throat and sides of head and dark grey tail tipped with white. The breast is rufous or cinnamon, often with barring, and the belly is creamy-white or pale buff. The female is similar but the colour of the breast is duller and with variable amounts of barring.
It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. In Southern Africa it is a common breeding migrant, found throughout the area except for the drier west. The preferred habitats... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Red-chested Cuckoo in Lower Zambezi National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Lower Zambezi National Park
Common Cuckoo
Cuculus canorus
Black Cuckoo
Cuculus clamosus
African Cuckoo
Cuculus gularis
Senegal Coucal
Centropus senegalensis
White-browed Coucal
Centropus superciliosus
Jacobin Cuckoo
Clamator jacobinus
Dideric Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx caprius
Klaas's Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx klaas
Levaillant's Cuckoo
Clamator levaillantii
Green Malkoha
Ceuthmochares australis
African Emerald Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx cupreus
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Red-chested Cuckoo in Lower Zambezi National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-chested Cuckoo sighting in Lower Zambezi National Park, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Red-chested Cuckoo in Lower Zambezi National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Red-chested Cuckoo in Lower Zambezi National Park in our monthly data.