White-Browed Coucal
Centropus superciliosus
Also known as: Burchell's Coucal
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Omnivore
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
148 g
About This Species
A large, skulking cuckoo relative of African scrub, grassland edges and riverine thickets, foraging on the ground for insects and small vertebrates while staying close to cover. Its deep, bubbling call, often likened to water pouring from a bottle, is a much more reliable sign of presence than a visual sighting. It is most vocal in the early morning and after rain, making those conditions a productive time to listen for it.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Because it favours dense ground cover, viewing from the edge of scrub without pushing in is both more effective and less disruptive than trying to flush it into the open.
- Wildlife protection is determined separately by each African range country, so distance and disturbance rules vary and should be confirmed locally rather than generalised.
- Limiting playback, which can draw a bird into repeated territorial calling, is a reasonable precaution given its cover-dependent lifestyle.
LCAvesCuculiformesCuculidae
Seasonal Activity
177,844 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
Traits
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 148 g
Photo
(c) Francesco Veronesi, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.