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

Black Coucal

Centropus grillii

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

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderCuculiformes (Cuckoos)
FamilyCuculidae (Cuckoos)
GenusCentropus (Coucals)
SpeciesCentropus grillii (Black Coucal)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Tsavo East National Park

1 Verified sightings at Tsavo East National Park From 2019 to 2026

891 Verified sightings across all 30 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Black Coucal

The black coucal (Centropus grillii) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It has a wide distribution in Africa south of the Sahara. The male black coucal is 30 cm (12 in) in length while the female is 34 cm (13 in), otherwise they are similar in appearance. In breeding plumage the head, body and tail are black, apart from some buff barring on the rump, and the wings are rufous. Outside the breeding season, the upper parts are dark brown with rufous barring. The eyes are brown and the beak and legs are black. Juveniles are rufous with various dark and light barring and streaking.

It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is resident in some locations and migrant in others. Its habitat is marshes, savannah, grassland, bracken, undergrowth, and clearings in woodland, and occasionally reeds and papyrus... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tsavo East National Park

Centropus superciliosus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Clamator jacobinus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Chrysococcyx caprius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Chrysococcyx klaas

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Cuculus solitarius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Ceuthmochares australis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Cuculus canorus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Cuculus clamosus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Chrysococcyx cupreus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Pachycoccyx audeberti

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Cuculus gularis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Clamator levaillantii

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

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

← Back to Tsavo East National Park

Black Coucal

About the Black Coucal

Recent sightings of Black Coucal in Tsavo East National Park

Closest Relatives at Tsavo East National Park

White-browed Coucal

Jacobin Cuckoo

Dideric Cuckoo

Klaas's Cuckoo

Red-chested Cuckoo

Green Malkoha

Common Cuckoo

Black Cuckoo

African Emerald Cuckoo

Thick-billed Cuckoo

African Cuckoo

Levaillant's Cuckoo

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found