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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Black Cuckoo
Chant
Loud, nasal call with bubbling quality; distinctive resonant notes carrying through dense African forest.
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Chant
Soft, ventriloquial whistled phrase; clear pure notes given quietly and deceptively from dense tropical thicket.
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Conservation Status Comparison
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Statut de conservation
Least Concern
Black Cuckoo
Least Concern
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Black Cuckoo
Plumage
Black Cuckoo: all glossy black; red eye; occasionally rufous undertail; slender; long dark tail; sexually monomorphic dark plumage
Lesser Ground-cuckoo
Plumage
Greater Roadrunner: boldly streaked brown above; white-cream below with dark streaks; long tail; shaggy crest; bare facial skin; fast runner
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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Black Cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus) — 28–32 cm. Entirely glossy black; slender build; long tail; slightly decurved bill. Inhabits forest, woodland, and dense savanna across sub-Saharan Africa. Brood parasite targeting bulbuls, shrikes, and other passerines. Insectivore; specialises in hairy caterpillars. Identified by its mournful 'I'm so sad' call.
Lesser Ground-cuckoo (Morococcyx erythropygus) — 28 cm. Brown above; chestnut rump; whitish underparts; bare blue orbital skin. Inhabits dry and semi-arid scrub from Mexico to Costa Rica. Non-parasitic; builds its own nest in low shrubs. Runs on the ground hunting large insects, lizards, and amphibians. Monotypic genus endemic to Mesoamerica.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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