Small coucal of marshes, swamps, and wet grassland. Distinctive in breeding plumage: black with a rufous wing. In non-breeding plumage, buffy and streaked. Skulks in the undergrowth, occasionally emerging to sit on an exposed perch. Vocalizations are a two part “kuu-kuk” and a descending and accelerating series of “tow” notes. In non-breeding plumage, separated from White-browed and immature Senegal coucals by its slightly smaller size and lack of a white eye stripe.