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Difference between revisions of "Black Coucal" - BirdForum Opus

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In the past, Black Coucal has been viewed as a subspecies of [[Madagascar Coucal]].
 
In the past, Black Coucal has been viewed as a subspecies of [[Madagascar Coucal]].
 
==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
Grasslands.
+
Marsh / grasslands.
 +
 
 
==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
 
====Breeding====
 
====Breeding====

Revision as of 19:10, 15 July 2010

Alternative name: African Black Coucal

Juvenile
Photo by Juninho
Location: Masai Mara National Park, Kenya, June 2004
Centropus grillii

Identification

35cm

  • Blue-black head and back
  • Grey eye
  • Yellow bill
  • Brown throat
  • Blue-grey legs.

Distribution

Africa south of the Sahara:
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.[1]

In the past, Black Coucal has been viewed as a subspecies of Madagascar Coucal.

Habitat

Marsh / grasslands.

Behaviour

Breeding

The nest is placed in a tree and 2-6 white eggs are laid. Domed nests low in rank grassland also recorded. Sex roles largely reversed. Females initiate copulation with advertising calls from prominent perches. Some are polyandrous. Males tend the young.

Diet

The diet includes invertebrates.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. Avibase

Recommended Citation

External Links

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