Barred long-tailed cuckoo

The barred long-tailed cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in the Albertine Rift montane forests and disjunctly throughout East Africa.

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Distribution

Region

East and Central African montane forests

Typical Environment

Occurs chiefly in the Albertine Rift montane forests with disjunct populations in other East African highlands. Prefers evergreen montane forest, often along ridges, ravines, and bamboo zones. It also uses mature secondary forest and edges where canopy cover remains high. Birds may wander locally along forested altitudinal gradients.

Altitude Range

900–3000 m

Climate Zone

Highland

Characteristics

Size30–33 cm

Wing Span40–45 cm

Male Weight0.09 kg

Female Weight0.08 kg

Life Expectancy8 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

A secretive forest cuckoo, it is more often heard than seen, its calls carrying through high montane forests. Like many cuckoos, it practices brood parasitism, laying its eggs in the nests of smaller forest birds. Its long, graduated tail helps it maneuver through dense canopy foliage.

Behaviour

Temperament

secretive and shy

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats with brief glides through the canopy

Social Behavior

Typically solitary or in pairs within dense forest. It is a brood parasite, depositing eggs in nests of smaller forest passerines and leaving the hosts to raise the young. Nesting activity follows local rainy seasons when host activity peaks.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Gives a series of hollow, fluty whistles that may accelerate or rise slightly in pitch. Calls carry far in still forest air and are often given from concealed perches high in the canopy.

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Identification

Leg Colorslaty-grey

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Upperparts brown to olive-brown; underparts pale with fine dark barring from breast to undertail. Tail long and graduated with narrow bars and pale tips. Overall appearance is slender with a sleek, cuckoo-like profile.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Feeds primarily on insects, especially caterpillars, beetles, and orthopterans taken from foliage and branches. Also consumes other arthropods and larvae gleaned from leaves. Occasionally may take small fruits when insect prey is scarce.

Preferred Environment

Forages in the mid-story to canopy of mature montane forest and dense secondary growth. Often hunts along forest edges, clearings with tall trees, and bamboo thickets.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

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