Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus)
Order: Cuculiformes
Family: Cuculidae
Name (Scientific name): Clamator jacobinus
Field Identification
They are Medium-sized bird, pied, black above and white below, with a distinctive crest. The white wing patch on the black wing and the pattern make it unmistakable even in flight, with a long-graduated tail black, broadly tipped white. Juvenile Duller, with shorter crest and buffish underparts. Voice- A series clear keeuw notes and keeeuw kweep-ip-ip.
Habits, Range, Status
Figure 1: Map showing the distribution of the Jacobin Cuckoo in Nigeria from NiBAP database
They are Widespread but patchy intra-African migrant. The habitat of the species is mainly in thorny, dry scrub or open woodland, farm-bush, semi-evergreen forest and avoiding areas of dense forest or extremely dry environments (Borrow and Demey 2004). In Nigeria, the Jacobin Cuckoo is fairly well-distributed across the southern and north-central regions, but its presence becomes sparse in the far northern areas. The species occasionally moves further northward during the rainy season. They are very vocal during the breeding. They are resident in tropical Africa. The species is distributed south of the Sahara in Africa to south of the Himalayas in India. The population of the species appears to be stable and hence the species is currently evaluated as Least Concern (IUCN, 2022).
Food
The Jacobin Cuckoo primarily feeds on hairy caterpillars, but also consumes a variety of insects, including mantids, grasshoppers, and termites (Gaston, 1976). In addition, it feeds on some snails and berries. The female eats the eggs of the host species before laying its own eggs.
Breeding Biology of Jacobin Cuckoo
During the breeding season, Jacobin Cuckoos can be seen calling from prominent perches and chasing each other with slow, deliberate wingbeats. This species is a brood parasite, meaning it relies entirely on other bird species to raise its young. The female lays her eggs directly in the nest of a host bird, leaving the foster parents to incubate the eggs and care for the chicks (Ridley et al., 2011). The Jacobin Cuckoo parasitizes the nests of several bird species, including common bulbuls, babblers, and a few others. During egg-laying, the male distracts the host while the female quickly lays her egg in the nest (Payne, 2005). Unlike some other cuckoo species, Jacobin Cuckoo nestlings do not push the host’s eggs out of the nest. However, they tend to claim most parental care, receiving most of the food and attention, which can sometimes lead to the starvation of the host’s chicks (Payne, 2005).
References
Birds of Western Africa Second Edition by Nik Borrow and Ron Demey. Page 226-227 – ISBN: 978-1-4729-0568-0.
Campbell, N. A., Dicker, J. L., Simon, E. J., Taylor, M. R. and Reece, J. B. (2012). Biology Concepts and Connections Seventh Edition. How population Evolve, ppg 254-270. Pearson Education Inc, San Francisco.
Gaston, A. J. (1976). “Brood Parasitism by the Pied Crested Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus”. Journal of Animal Ecology. 45 (2): 331–348. Bibcode:1976JAnEc..45..331G. doi:10.2307/3878. JSTOR 3878.
IUCN Red list of threatened species. https://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 28th march, 2022.
Payne, R. B. (2005). The Cuckoos. Oxford University Press. pp. 49, 320–325.
Ridley, A. R., & Thompson, A. M. (2011). The effect of Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus parasitism on the body mass and survival of young in a new host species. Ibis, 154(1), 195–199. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2011.01190.x.
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