Klaas's cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae which is native to the wooded regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The specific name honours Klaas, the Khoikhoi man who collected the type specimen.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Typical Environment
Occurs widely in wooded habitats across sub-Saharan Africa, including forest edges, riverine woodland, miombo and mopane, thickets, and well-treed savannas. It also frequents gardens and parks in towns where mature trees are present. It is generally absent from treeless open grasslands and true deserts but uses wooded drainage lines in drier zones. Local movements occur in response to rains and breeding opportunities.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Klaas's cuckoo is a small glossy-green cuckoo of sub-Saharan Africa, most often heard before it is seen. It is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of small passerines, leaving host species to raise the chicks. Males are striking metallic green above and white below, while females are browner and barred. The specific name honors Klaas, a Khoikhoi man who collected the type specimen during Levaillant’s explorations in the Cape.
Engraving by William Lizars after William Swainson from Sir William Jardine's "Naturalist's Library: Ornithology" (v. 12, 1853 edition).
Temperament
secretive and often elusive
Flight Pattern
swift, direct flight with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in loose pairs outside the breeding season. A brood parasite, the female clandestinely lays single eggs in the nests of small passerines, leaving incubation and rearing to the hosts. Courtship involves vocal displays; no nest is built by the species.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
The male gives a clear, ringing two- to three-note whistle often rendered as 'klaas-klaas' or 'klee-u'. Calls carry far and are repeated persistently from concealed perches. Females call more softly and less frequently.
Plumage
Male with glossy emerald-green upperparts and clean white underparts; female and juvenile brownish above with white underparts heavily barred brown. Tail often shows pale spots; wings short and rounded with some pale spotting in females.
Diet
Feeds mainly on insects, especially caterpillars (including hairy species), beetles, bugs, and orthopterans. It also takes spiders and other small arthropods gleaned from foliage. Prey is typically taken by careful picking from leaves and twigs, with occasional short sallies to snatch flying insects.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid to upper canopy of trees along forest edges, riverine woodland, and well-wooded savannas. Often associates with flowering or fruiting trees that attract insect swarms and may follow mixed-species bird parties.
