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A photo of a Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
Jacobin Cuckoo

Jacobin Cuckoo

Clamator jacobinus

The Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus), also pied cuckoo or pied crested cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival. It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the chataka (Sanskrit: चातक) represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst. This medium-sized, slim black and white cuckoo with a crest is distinctive. The white wing patch on the black wing and the pattern make it unmistakable even in flight. They are very vocal during the breeding season. The call is a ringing series of whistling notes "piu-piu" with the calls of the nominate form more rapid and slightly Mellower. In India the subspecies serratus is a summer breeding visitor to northern India and is believed to migrate to southern Africa. This is larger and longer winged than the nominate subspecies found in the southern peninsular region and Sri Lanka is said to be a local migrant.
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Jacobin Cuckoos on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A map showing the sighting location
🦢
Craig Clow
Saturday 29 Jul 2023 - 5:04am
Uganda
A map showing the sighting location
🦏
Donald Sutton
Saturday 17 Jun 2023 - 10:44am
Mozambique
A map showing the sighting location
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Andrew de Blocq
Friday 21 Apr 2023 - 7:13am
South Africa
A map showing the sighting location
🐞
Nix Asherson
Monday 03 Apr 2023 - 6:54am
South Africa
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