African Cuckoo-Hawk Aviceda cuculoides Scientific name definitions

38–43 cm; 220–296 g; wingspan 85–95 cm (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Perches  horizontally on short legs, often with wings slightly drooped. Small nuchal crest  and rufous patch at all ages. Juvenile , brown above with large brown spots on white underparts, similar to juvenile Accipiter tachiro. Subadult plumage with rufous wash to chest and finer grey barring on underparts. Brown eye in juvenile turning pale yellow in subadult; in adult, bright yellow in female, red in male (2 Hall, D.G., Tarboton, W.R. and Theron, F. (1991). More on the enigmatic Cuckoo Hawk. Gabar. 6(2): 47-50. Close ). Races separated by size, extent of barring on breast and underwings and intensity of plumage colour. Nominate cuculoides with unbarred chestnut wing-linings and slightly barred undersides of remiges; race <em>batesi</em> relatively dark above and heavily barred below ; race <em>verreauxii</em> larger than others (wing 293–328 mm versus 273–310 mm) and has rufous wing-linings barred with white and obviously barred undersides of remiges.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Interior and edges of evergreen, riparian and coastal forest; patches of dense deciduous woodland; exotic plantations in open savanna and even suburban gardens; up to 3000 m (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Nests in moderately dense to dense stands, often along a watercourse but occasionally on a ridge far from water (3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ).

Resident in most areas but some seasonal movement into coastal Kenya to breed in Apr–Nov and into Transvaal highveld after breeding in May–Aug. May move locally within deciduous woodland in response to fluctuations in chameleon and insect numbers, leading to irregular influxes in areas of E and S Africa. Local movements with seasonal rains have also been detected in W African savannas (4 Borrow, N., and R. Demey (2001). Birds of Western Africa. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Lizards, especially chameleons, and large insects, including grasshoppers, mantids and caterpillars (3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ). Also beetles, wasps, termite alates, crabs, fish, small birds (including nestlings), bats and small terrestrial mammals, and on occasion, frogs (5 Saunders, C.R. (2000). African Cuckoo Hawk taking frog. Honeyguide. 46(1): 24. Close , 3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ). Perches for long periods, usually within cover, then swoops slowly down to take prey from foliage or branch, or by hopping along the ground. Occasionally hawks aerial insects, or courses low over open vegetation to drop on prey (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), flying with relaxed kite-like flight or soaring to display chestnut underwings. Prevalence of green-coloured prey in diet suggests hunting is concentrated in foliage of trees, shrubs and grasses (3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ).

Often silent. Main call is a plaintive mewing “peee-ooo” or “tohew”, somewhat Buteo-like but more explosive, uttered from a perch or in flight, in contact and display. Also, a trisyllabic high-pitched whistle “choo-titi-too”, given from a perch when breeding (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 6 Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner, and D. J. Pearson (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ).

Mainly in rainy season. Nest building late Oct, copulation Nov in Gabon (7 Buij, R. (2008). The lowland raptor community of the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas, Gabon. Malimbus 30(1):55–64. Close ). Laying Jun–Jul in Sierra Leone; Jun in Nigeria; Feb in Gabon; Nov in Zimbabwe; Mar, Aug–Nov in E Africa; Apr, Oct–Nov in C Africa; Sept–Mar in S Africa. Males give whistling calls while performing distinctive U-shaped display flights with fluttering wings (8 Ryan, P., and Moloney, C. (1994). Range extension and display flight of the Cuckoo Hawk in the southwestern Cape Province, South Africa. Gabar. 9(2): 25. Close ). Typically builds flimsy and untidy platform (22–30 cm wide) of twigs with leaves still attached, placed high in canopy and well concealed by foilage. In Zimbabwe, nest height 10·4–17·5 m (3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ). Usually 2 eggs (2–3); size 39·9–45·1 mm × 32·7–35·9 mm (3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ); mass near laying 23·1–27·5 g (3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ); incubation 30–33 days; chicks have white down; fledge at 30–42 days; sexes share care of the young, but male does not usually provision female. Pairs renest after failure during incubation and can attempt two broods in same nesting season (2 Hall, D.G., Tarboton, W.R. and Theron, F. (1991). More on the enigmatic Cuckoo Hawk. Gabar. 6(2): 47-50. Close , 3 O’Donoghue, F. and Hartley, R.R. (2002). Notes on the breeding biology and ecology of the Cuckoo Hawk at Karoi. Honeyguide. 48(2): 198-204. Close ).

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. No information on nesting density or global population size, but on basis of large range numbers likey exceed 10,000 (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Widespread but generally uncommon around forest edges. Secretive and easily overlooked, and so may be found to be more common, especially as a breeding species. First documented in South Sudan in 2012 (9 Mallalieu, M. (2013). First records for South Sudan of African Cuckoo Hawk Aviceda cuculoides, Icterine Warbler Hippolais icterina and White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus, and first sighting of Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae. Bull. African Bird Club. 20(1): 71–74. Close ). Affected by loss of prime habitat through cutting of forest and woodland, but uses many secondary habitats, including eucalyptus and pine plantations in addition to suburban gardens (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Subject to predation by sympatric raptors, some of which also colonize secondary habitats or plantations. Occasionally drowns in farm reservoirs in S Africa (10 Anderson, M. D., A. W. A. Maritz, and E. Oosthuysen (1999) Raptors drowning in farm reservoirs in South Africa. Ostrich 70:139–144. Close ). Not known to be affected by pesticide use.