Burchell's coucal (''Centropus burchellii'') is a species of

cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

in the family Cuculidae. It is found in the southeastern parts of sub-Saharan

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It inhabits areas with thick cover afforded by rank undergrowth and scrub, including in suitable

coastal A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

regions. Common names include ''gewone vleiloerie'' in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

and ''umGugwane'' or ''uFukwe'' in Zulu. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the white-browed coucal, which replaces it to the north and west. The juvenile plumages and calls of the two taxa are hardly distinguishable. The species is named after the British naturalist

William John Burchell __NOTOC__ William John Burchell (23 July 1781 – 23 March 1863) was an English explorer, naturalist, traveller, artist, and author. His thousands of plant specimens, as well as field journals from his South African expedition, are held by Kew ...

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized: * ''Centropus burchellii burchellii'' — southeastern

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

, western

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

, southern Mozambique and South Africa (all nine provinces, though excluding the dry interior) * ''Centropus burchellii fasciipygialis'' — northwards of the

Limpopo River The Limpopo River () rises in South Africa and flows generally eastward through Mozambique to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a group of Tsonga settlers led by Hosi Rivombo who settled in the mou ...

: southeastern Zimbabwe, central and northern Mozambique, southern Malawi (southwards of Viphya Plateau) and southeastern Tanzania (including Mafia Island) ''C. b. fasciipygialis'' has starker plumage colours, the head being solid black and the underparts whiter, besides less streaking caused by contrasting feather shafts. In adults the barred rump and tail covert feathers distinguishes it from the white-browed coucal.

Habits

This common resident of southern Africa is usually seen as a solitary individual or in pairs. They prefer clambering through thickets in bushveld, marshes, riparian fringes or coastal bush. It is more often heard than it is seen. When it does fly, the flight is ponderous and ends with a long glide to the next thicket.

Voice

This bird has a distinctive call, which resembles water pouring from a bottle, and various other calls such as the "dove" call and an alarm hiss. The birds are most vocal in the breeding season, and a couple may call in duet, or several birds may call in concert.

Nesting

Between September and February (austral summer) a large matted nest is normally made in a thorn tree. Usually four white eggs are laid, and these hatch out after 14 to 18 days. Both parents feed the nestlings for another three weeks.

Food

Burchell's coucal is predatory, stalking through thick bush and eating insects (including

Orthoptera Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – gras ...

), snails, amphibians (frogs and toads), reptiles (including lizards and chameleons) and birds up to the size of a laughing dove. Nests of other birds are often raided.

Gallery

Centropus burchellii Limpopo South Africa.jpg, Finely barred rump and tail coverts, combined with unmarked underpart plumage, are field marks of adult birds Burchell's Coucal, Centropus burchelli at Borakalalo National Park, South Africa (9838173723).jpg, Individual with creamy-white supercilium and heavily streaked nape Burchell's Coucal (Centropus burchellii) (17331434722).jpg, Sunning and preening with exposed

uropygial gland The uropygial gland, informally known as the preen gland or the oil gland, is a bilobed sebaceous gland possessed by the majority of birds used to distribute the gland's oil through the plumage by means of Preening (bird), preening. It is locate ...

Centropus burchellii 5679.jpg, A pair in

lowveld Veld ( or , Afrikaans and Dutch: ''veld'', field), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide-open, rural landscape in Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, ...

woodland in the Kruger Park Centropus burchellii00.jpg, Navigating bulrush in an upland marsh

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1628224 Burchell's coucal Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa Burchell's coucal Burchell's coucal Fauna of South Africa