Chrysococcyx klaas
The Klaas's Cuckoo, *Chrysococcyx klaas*, is a small, striking member of the Cuculidae family, renowned for its brilliant iridescent plumage and distinctive call across sub-Saharan Africa. Males are particularly stunning, displaying metallic green upperparts, a pure white belly, and a small white postocular spot, measuring around 16-18 cm in length. Females are duller, with bronze-green upperparts, a Rufous wash on the breast, and fine barring on the underparts, offering a clear instance of s...
Found in a wide range of wooded habitats, including open woodlands, savannas, forest edges, riparian zones, and even gardens, from sea level up to 3000 meters in elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding mostly on caterpillars (including hairy ones), beetles, grasshoppers, and other arthropods, which it gleans from foliage.
This diurnal cuckoo is typically solitary and highly secretive, often perching motionless and hidden in foliage, making it more frequently heard than seen. It forages by gleaning caterpillars and other insects from leaves and branches, often making short, agile flights between foraging spots. Mal...
The Klaas's Cuckoo boasts a vast and continuous distribution across sub-Saharan Africa, extending from Senegal and Gambia in the west, eastwards through the Sahel and Guinea zones to Ethiopia and Somalia, and southwards across East, Central, and Southern Africa to the Cape Provinces of South Afri...
Least Concern
- The name 'Klaas' is an onomatopoeic rendition of the male's distinct whistling call, derived from a Khoisan (Hottentot) word. - This is one of the smaller cuckoo species found across the African continent. - Klaas's Cuckoos are capable of consuming hairy caterpillars, a food source often avoide...