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Great Spotted Cuckoo
(Clamator glandarius)
 German name(s): "Häherkuckuck"
Size: 35-39 cm; wing span 58-60 cm
Weight: ca. 125 g (average)
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Great Spotted Cuckoos are an about dove-sized brood-parasitic species.
Both sexes look alike.
They have a silvery-grey crown with a crest which encompasses the
eyes with their red orbital rings. The sides and front of the neck,
together with the chin/throat, are cinnamon, while the nape of the
neck is black. The rest of the front, from chest to undertail coverts,
is off-white to light-grey.
The back and the wings are grey, with broad white tips on the wing
coverts that show as white bars on the folded wings.
The irises are dark-brown. The short, down-curved bill is grey with
a darker tip and the legs and feet are also grey.
The fact that the upper legs are covered by feathers ("trousers"),
like a raptor's,
gives the species its German name of "Hawk Cuckoo".
Juveniles
are black where
adults are
grey and they have rusty uppersides of their flight feathers that
show as rusty panels on the drooping folded wings.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Great
Spotted Cuckoo at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Great Spotted Cuckoo is available
HERE
.
Great Spotted Cuckoos are a partly sedentary, partly migratory
species found in parts of southern Europe, in Asia Minor and
in parts of the Middle East and of Africa.
They are sedentary in sub-Saharan and eastern Africa.
During the southern breeding season they extend their range into
southern Africa (except the south-western desert regions).
There are winter quarters are winter quarters in north-western
Africa and along the river Nile.
During the northern breeding season they extend their range into
parts of southern Europe, Asia Minor and northern Iraq.
Some birds are known to overwinter on the southern coastal fringe
of Iberia.
Apart from a small overwintering population in the South
of Iberia, n Europe Great Spotted Cuckoos are found as
breeding migrants only in the Mediterranean region.
Their range encompasses most of Iberia (except the far
North), southern France, the western coastal fringe of
northern Italy (except near the Alps) and an area in
Greece/Turkey near the Bosporus.
During the breeding season Great Spotted Cuckoos spend a
lot of time in the favourite habitats of their officially
listed breeding hosts, such as the
Iberian Magpie,
Eurasian Magpie,
or Carrion Crow,
in semi-open country with scattered trees.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires reports spotting a Great Spotted
Cuckoo in Mora, Evora, Portugal, in April 2014. Another was found
at Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, in May 2020.
These locations are right on the north-western edge of the species'
range.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Lateral view of a Great Spotted Cuckoo looking at the observer
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, May 2020]
Lateral view of a Great Spotted Cuckoo
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, May 2020]
Lateral view of a Great Spotted Cuckoo looking at the observer
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, May 2020]
Lateral view of a Great Spotted Cuckoo
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, May 2020]
Lateral view of a Great Spotted Cuckoo together with a
Corn Bunting
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, May 2020]
Lateral view of a Great Spotted Cuckoo together with a
Corn Bunting
and a
Western Yellow Wagtail
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, May 2020]
Somewhat unsharp lateral/ventral view of a Great Spotted Cuckoo
in what looks like a
display posture, with cocked tail and drooping wings
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2014]
Note that, in general, cuckoos host on smaller birds.
However, the listed breeding hosts of the Great Spotted Cuckoo
are Iberian Magpies,
Eurasian Magpies,
or Carrion Crows,
which are the same size - or larger than - the cuckoo.
Therefore, it may be significant that we have observed a Great
Spotted Cuckoo being accompanied for a period of 15 minutes by a
Corn Bunting.
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
