Klaas’s cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas) is a small, brightly colored bird that can be found across sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of arid deserts. This species is sexually dimorphic, with males having a glossy green body and plain white underparts, while females have a bronze-brown body, greenish wing coverts, and faintly barred white underparts. The bird’s head and bill are both green, and it has a small white post-ocular patch.
Klaas’s cuckoo typically lives in open broad-leaved woodland, such as miombo (Brachystegia) and Mopane (Colosphermum mopane) woodland, but it can also be found in dense Acacia thickets, forest edges, gardens, and alien tree stands around farmsteads. This bird is mainly insectivorous and specializes in dining on butterflies and caterpillars by foraging in the foliage of trees or bushes. It will also eat other insects, taking them from leaves and occasionally catching a flying insect on the wing. Additionally, it will rarely dine on seeds and fruit buds.
As a brood parasite bird, Klaas’s cuckoo lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. The host bird then thinks the egg is its own, incubates the egg, and cares for the chick. Egg-laying season is year-round, peaking from October through to January when the female lays one egg per nest, which works out to be around 24 eggs per season. Soon after hatching, the chick usually evicts any host bird chicks that are present and remains in the nest for around 19-21 days.
Despite its unique characteristics and behavior, Klaas’s cuckoo is not threatened in any way, and its distribution range has expanded recently. If you are interested in observing and listening to this bird, you can watch the video below which features footage and sound recordings of Klaas’s cuckoo.
This article uses material from Wikipedia.org which is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License via Copyright Wikipedia. Images on this page are the sole property of the photographers (unless marked as Public Domain). Please read the license and or contact the photographers directly before using them for any purpose. Thank you all.