The African cuckoo-hawk, or African baza, (''Aviceda cuculoides'') is a medium-sized
raptor
Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to:
Animals
The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons.
* Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on ...
in the family
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae is one of the three families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-s ...
so named because it resembles the
common cuckoo
The common cuckoo (''Cuculus canorus'') is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.
This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. I ...
. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and along the eastern parts of Southern Africa, preferring dense woodland and forest of either indigenous or exotic trees.
Description
The male is blackish-brown above with a grey mantle and chest with a blackish crest, the underparts are white marked with broad chestnut bars. The tail is black with three grey bars and grey and white tip. The females are browner with paler chestnut bars on the underparts. Distinctive in flight as a small raptor with a small head with broad, narrowly rounded wings and a medium length tail. Wingspan is just over double the body length, females are slightly larger than males.
Distribution and subspecies
The African cuckoo-hawk is found across much of sub-Saharan Africa,
and the following subspecies are recognised:
*''A. c.'' subsp. ''cuculoides'' –
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
to southwestern
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
and northern
DRC
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
*''A. c.'' subsp. ''batesi'' – Sierra Leone to
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
and northern
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
*''A. c.'' subsp. ''verreauxii'' –
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
to
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
and eastern
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
Habitat
The African cuckoo-hawk is a shy species which occurs in the interior and edges of evergreen forest and deciduous woodlands, including suburban gardens and more open savannas, up to . When migrating through east Africa it also occurs in drier woodland and bush.
Biology
The African cuckoo-hawk is largely sedentary but during April–November some migrate northwards to East Africa, in particular to coastal Kenya, and outside the breeding season some migrate to southern Africa, especially to the Transvaal
Highveld
The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld'', where ''veld'' means "field") is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly 1500 m, but below 2100 m, thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of ...
. The breeding season varies by geography; in southern Africa breeding happens during September to March; in west Africa the season is June to August; while in Kenya there are two breeding periods per year, the first in March to June and the second from November to February, timed to follow the two rainy seasons. The African cuckoo-hawk's general behaviour is little known, as this species occurs at low densities and has secretive habits, although they are slightly more conspicuous during migration and so may appear more numerous.
The African cuckoo-hawk mainly eats reptiles and insects. It hunts within the canopy by flying from tree to tree, searching from a perch before flying to pluck the prey item from the canopy or ground. The following food items have been recorded in its diet:
flap-necked chameleon ''Chamaeleo dilepsis'',
southern dwarf chameleon
''Bradypodion ventrale'', the southern dwarf chameleon, occurs in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the so ...
''Brachypodion ventrale'', lizards, snakes, frogs, fish,
fruit bat
Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera ''Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—flying foxes. They are the only member of the sup ...
s, mice, birds,
grasshoppers and locusts, stick insects,
silverfish
The silverfish (''Lepisma saccharinum'') is a species of small, primitive, wingless insect in the order Zygentoma (formerly Thysanura). Its common name derives from the insect's silvery light grey colour, combined with the fish-like appearance ...
larvae,
caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
s,
mantid
Mantidae is one of the largest families in the order of praying mantises, based on the type species ''Mantis religiosa''; however, most genera are tropical or subtropical. Historically, this was the only family in the order, and many reference ...
s and
freshwater crab
Around 1,300 species of freshwater crabs are distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, divided among eight families. They show direct development and maternal care of a small number of offspring, in contrast to marine crabs, which relea ...
s.
[
The African cuckoo-hawk is a monogamous, solitary nester, belying its secretive reputation by performing spectacular aerial displays as the breeding season approaches. The nest is constructed by both sexes in 11 days and consists of an untidy platform of twigs, vines and leaves which is lined with leaves, grass and small sticks. It is normally placed in the highest branches of a tree, usually between above the ground. Normally only one or two eggs are laid, occasionally three. The chicks are fed and brooded by both parents, before they leave the nest after 28 days and take their first flight a few days after that. The juveniles remain dependent on their parents for about a week after their first flight. ]Wahlberg's eagle
Wahlberg's eagle (''Hieraaetus wahlbergi'') is a bird of prey that is native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a seasonal migrant in the woodlands and savannas.
It is named after the Swedish naturalist Johan August Wahlberg. Like all eagles, it ...
''Hieraaetus wahlbergi'' has been recorded preying on the chicks of the African cuckoo-hawk.[
]
References
External links
* (African) cuckoo-haw
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
{{DEFAULTSORT:cuckoo-hawk, African
African cuckoo-hawk
African cuckoo-hawk
African cuckoo-hawk
African cuckoo-hawk