Jacobin Cuckoo

Clamator jacobinus

Malay name: Sewah Berjambul Hitam-Putih · Chinese name: 斑翅凤头鹃 · Also known as: Pied Cuckoo

Family: Cuckoos · Status: Vagrant · Size: 31.5–33 cm · Conservation: Least Concern

Range

Breeds across sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The Indian subcontinent population winters in Africa and Myanmar. A vagrant to Cambodia, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore.

Identification

Glossy black upperparts, hindneck, and wings, all-white underparts, and a small white patch on the primaries, short spiky crest; smaller than Chestnut-winged Cuckoo and lacks the rufous-chestnut wings and orange-rufous throat of that species.

Habitat

Open woodland and scrub.

Behaviour

Like many other cuckoos, feeds mainly on hairy caterpillars. Forages among shrubs and trees but can also be observed feeding on the ground.