Klaas's Cuckoo ( Chrysococcyx klaas, family: cuculidae)
The Klaas's Cuckoo (Latin name Chrysococcyx klaas) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 385 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 211 also a picture of the Klaas's Cuckoo on page 208. The
Klaas's Cuckoo belongs to the family of birds classified as cuculidae.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Klaas's Cuckoo is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the Klaas's Cuckoo in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Klaas's Cuckoo : see above distribution map.
The Klaas's Cuckoo.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Klaas's Cuckoo is a small bird about the size of a house sparrow. Do not take this relative indicator as anything other than a rough easy to remember indicator. It is not a accurate visualization. The height of the Klaas's Cuckoo is about 18 cms and its weight is about 26 gms
You will find that the male Klaas's Cuckoo plumage and colours are different to that of the female Klaas's Cuckoo
- Head is green.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is green.
- Throat is white.
- Back is green.
- Legs are green.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Klaas's Cuckoo feeds on the ground and on wing mainly
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Klaas's Cuckoo is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Chrysococcyx klaas will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Klaas's Cuckoo is to use the nest of another bird. The surrogate family then raise the chicks. The bird lays eggs which are green in colour and number between 1 per host nest
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Klaas's Cuckoo are: woodlands
You will normally see the Klaas's Cuckoo by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Meitjie
German ... Klaaskuckuck
Portuguese ... Cuco-bronzeado-menor
French ... Coucou de Klaas
Dutch ... Klaaskoekoek
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 385
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
