Diederik Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx caprius
Woodland. Male bright green above; white below; bill black; eyes red. Female similar, but with coppery mantle.
Cuckoos
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Common summer resident. Both sexes differ from male of [Klaas’s Cuckoo] in having white marks before and behind the eyes, a white central stripe over the crown and multiple white marks on the wings; also red eyes and a black bill. Female is more coppery on the upper parts. Immature has coral-red bill, blue eyes and spotted underparts; immature female mostly coppery above. Male calls a plaintive ‘dee-dee-dee-deederik’ from a tree top or in flight; female calls ‘deea-deea-DEEA’. Usually occurs singly in a variety of wooded habitats, including reed beds and suburbia. Parasitises weavers, bishops and sparrows, and often seen while being chased off noisily by weavers.
Quick Facts
Size
18.5 cm - S
Names
A: Diederikkie
Z: uNononekhanda
Ss: Ntetekeng Ya Leihlofubedu
G: Diderikkuckuck, Goldkuckuck
Bird Family
Cuckoos are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, and the majority are absent from southern Africa during the period March-September. The related coucals are larger, more robust and mainly sedentary birds that build their own nests and rear young in the conventional manner.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Usually occurs singly in a variety of wooded habitats, including reed beds and suburbia.
