This Bird Slays Its Brilliant Metallic Green and Striking Golden Yellow Attire with Pride
The African emerald cuckoo, or Chrysococcyx cupreus, commonly known as the emerald cuckoo, is a bird native to Sub-Saharan African countries such as Angola, Liberia, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and many others. You will agree that the African emerald cuckoo, a small, slender forest cuckoo, is a strikingly colorful bird.
The male African emerald cuckoo is adorned with a short, thin bill and eyes of a brown-orange hue. The males also boast a brilliant metallic layer of green plumage, featuring a radiant yellow breast and belly. The feathers of their tails are tipped with white.
The female African emerald cuckoo is brown above and barred with green and white below. She is much more blunt and intensely barred, with traces of green on her rufous back.
These birds prefer to inhabit densely lush forests that contain Mopane trees. However, they also frequent urban metropolitan areas, such as parks, gardens, and abandoned structures.
Wondering where to find them specifically? They can be located in damp forests, from sea level up to fairly high elevations.
These birds are subtle canopy-dwelling species that are typically identified by their calls. The African emerald cuckoo measures approximately 8.3 to 9.1 inches in length and weighs around 1.2 ounces.
Here is the African Emerald Cuckoo
The African emerald cuckoo, or Chrysococcyx cupreus, belongs to a species of cuckoo that is an Old World cuckoo of the Cuculidae family. They are distinguished from other small green cuckoos by the absence of a white eyebrow or throat.
The Female African Emerald Cuckoo
A Beauty, You Are...
A Blend of Colors
This is not the type of bird that builds its own nest or raises its own young. The female emerald cuckoo lays her eggs in the nests of other birds, primarily the bee-eaters, puffback shrikes, and yellow-whiskered bulbuls.
Sitting Pretty...
The female emerald cuckoo generally waits until the owners of the nest are out foraging. Then, she removes the existing eggs and lays her own.
The nest owners return and hatch the cuckoo eggs, raising the young as their own.
Hey, Birdie!
Look at the Mix of Colors...
In Africa, the emerald cuckoo is widely distributed, as the bird prefers to eat insects and fruits, being omnivorous by nature. Insects such as butterflies, ants, caterpillars, and grasshoppers are among the favorites of the emerald cuckoo.
A Striking Species!
This species has an exceptionally large breeding range and is considered common throughout much of this range. Therefore, it is listed on the IUCN Red List as Least Concern.
The Awaited Moment is Here...
Click the video below to watch this bird:
The African emerald cuckoo is a cuckoo species native to Africa. The African emerald cuckoo is not only a spectacularly bright-colored bird, but it is also extremely vocal.
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