|
Cuculus poliocephalus (Lesser cuckoo)
Kleinkoekoek [Afrikaans]; Kleine Koekoek [Dutch]; Petit coucou [French];
Gackelkuckuck [German]; Cuco-pequeno [Portuguese]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) >
Order: Cuculiformes > Family: Cuculidae
Distribution and habitat
Breeds from Afghanistan to Japan, heading south in the
non-breeding season to India and south-central Africa, from southern Kenya to
Malawi, southern DRC and Mozambique. Within southern Africa it is generally rare
in central Mozambique and
eastern Zimbabwe. It generally prefers dense savanna, tangled ravines and forest
edges.
|
 |
|
Distribution of Lesser cuckoo in southern Africa,
based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas
Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common). |
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
|
