Senegal Coucal
Centropus senegalensis
Dense thickets. Rufous wings; black cap and tail; white underparts.
Coucals
LC
Not Endemic
Description
Common resident. Distinguished from [Coppery-tailed Coucal] with difficulty, but is smaller, and has a less heavy bill and a shorter tail with green iridescence. Differs from [Burchell’s Coucal] in having unbarred upper tail coverts. Immature is duller; upper parts barred black and upper tail coverts finely barred buff. Very similar to immature of [Burchell’s Coucal], but their ranges are mutually exclusive. Occurs singly or in pairs in dense riparian vegetation, reed beds and thickets away from water.
Quick Facts
Size
41 cm - L
Names
A: Senegalvleiloerie
Ss: Lefututu La Moru
G: Europäische Spornkuckuck
Bird Family
Medium-sized birds which are notoriously secretive, usually keeping to dense vegetation making them difficult to see. Often the first give-away of their presence is their call. They eat insects, small reptiles, amphibians and sometimes the eggs and chicks of other birds. Coucals breed in early summer, building their cup-shaped nests fairly low and well hidden in thick vegetation; some species' nests are completely covered over.
Distribution
Gallery
Behaviour
Breeding
Habitat
Occurs singly or in pairs in dense riparian vegetation, reed beds and thickets away from water.
