From Opus

Alternative Names: African Baza, African Cuckoo Falcon

Photo by GarethH
Seringveld, Gauteng, South Africa, May 2006

Aviceda cuculoides

[edit] Identification

40 cms. Brown head, black bill, blue-grey throat, yellow legs, brown back and brown eyes.

[edit] Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa. Breeds from Gambia and southern Senegal east to south-east Sudan, south-west Ethiopia and southern Kenya and south to southern Angola in the west and eastern South Africa in the east.

Mainly resident but a partial-migrant in the east and south. In coastal East Africa occurs mainly June-December.

[edit] Taxonomy

Three or four subspecies recognised: The nominate race is found from Senegal to Nigeria and Ethiopia to northern Zaire.

Darker and more heavily barred A. c. batesi from Sierra Leone to western Zaire.

A. c. verreauxi, larger, with white bars on chestnut underwing, from Angola to Kenya and south to South Africa.

Birds from north-east Zaire are sometimes separated as A. c. emini.

[edit] Habitat

Forest, woodland and secondary-growth, usually stays within dense cover except in display flight above forest.

[edit] Behaviour

Solitary and skulking.

[edit] Diet

The diet includes insects, especially grasshoppers, also small snakes, lizards, birds and rodents.

[edit] Breeding

Nesting takes place from September to February. The nest is a platform of leafy twigs, built by both sexes. Two chalky-white eggs with reddish-brown blotches are laid and are incubated by both sexes or just the female, for 32-33 days. The young are fed by both parents and fledge after about a month.

[edit] External Links