Bird
White-browed Coucal
Centropus superciliosusAlso known as Lark-heeled Cuckoo, Burchell's Coucal
White-browed coucals are heavy-set cuckoos that prefer clambering through dense foliage over long flights, often revealing themselves through distinct liquid calls that resemble water pouring from a bottle. Unlike many European cuckoo relatives, these birds build their own bulky dome nests in thorny bushes and rear their own chicks. They creep through rank undergrowth and tall grass to stalk prey, using a long hind claw to anchor themselves while foraging low to the ground.
SkulkingAfrican BirdVocal
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyGrasshoppers, Small lizards, Land snails
Predators
- Accipiter hawks
- Large owls
- Snakes
ThreatsHabitat clearance, bushfires, and heavy pesticide use
HabitatsRank grass, riverine scrub, coastal thickets, and dense bushveld
Life span6–10 years
Classification
- OrderCuculiformes
- FamilyCuculidae
- GenusCentropus
- SpeciesCentropus superciliosus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Listen for calls: Locate birds by their deep, descending bubbling call resonating from thick cover.
- Scan low cover: Look along roadsides and riverbanks early in the morning as they dry their wings.
- Keep distance: Maintain a quiet stance near thick brush to encourage them to step into the open.
Brood Parasite (c) Thimindu Goonatillake, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Thom Haslam, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative Family Member
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