Great Spotted Cuckoo - BirdForum Opus

Adult
Photo © by Stephen Powell
Kruger Nat Park, South Africa, November 2010

Clamator glandarius

Identification

Juvenile
Photo © by mikemik
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, May 2018

35–39 cm (13¾-15¼ in). Tail long and wedge-shaped.
Adult:

• Pale silvery-grey crown and crest
• Upperparts are grey with an abundance of white spots
• Chin and throat are yellowy-white
• Belly creamy-white

Juvenile:

• Black on upperparts where adult is grey
• Rufous on primaries

Distribution

Juvenile
Photo © by whiteheadedvulture
Konkori, Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana, 13 June 2024

Europe, Middle East and Africa:
In Africa resident breeder from just south of the Sahara to Zambia and Mozambique (avoiding areas with rainforest); summer migrant to Southern Africa.
In Middle East summer migrant to Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Israel, and Egypt.
In Europe summer visitor to Spain, Portugal, southern France, Italy, and eastern Greece.

Vagrants occasionally venture elsewhere in Europe, including the British Isles.

Taxonomy

Photo © by sdaly
near La Janda, Cadiz province, Andalucia, Spain, February 2006

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

Breeds in heathland with occasional trees, Cork Oak Quercus suber being a favourite in Iberia. Also Olive Olea europaea groves.

Behaviour

Flight

Direct flight, much stronger than Common Cuckoo. The trailing tail makes the outline distinctive.
Adopts Eurasian Magpie-like postures during the breeding season.
Hops on the ground

Diet

It's diet consists mainly of insects.

Breeding

It parasitises nests of the crow family (in Europe mainly the two species of magpies), and may lay several eggs in the same nest. In southern Africa the most common hosts are Pied Crow, Cape Crow and Pied Starling. In western Europe is a very early breeder, the adults have left the region by early June.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Birds of Kenya
3. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
4. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
5. Beaman, M., S. Madge, K.M. Olsen. 1998. Fuglene i Europa, Nordafrika og Mellemøsten. Copenhagen, Denmark: Gads Forlag, ISBN 87-12-02276-4
6. Birdlife International datazone

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Great Spotted Cuckoo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Great_Spotted_Cuckoo

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