- Campephaga flava
Identification
Length 19-22 cm (7½-8¾ in)
Mass 32 g
Adult male
- Black overall plumage, bill, eyes and legs
- Bright orange gape
- Rounded tail
Some males have a yellow patch on the carpal joint.
Adult female
- Upper parts olive, finely barred black
- Tail brown and yellow
- Wings with yellow and blackish markings
- White under parts, finely scalloped black
Distribution
Africa: Woodland regions south of the Equator, extending northwards in eastern Africa to southern Somalia, southern Kenya, Uganda and southern Sudan.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
It has in the past been considered conspecific with Petit's Cuckoo-shrike.
Habitat
Woodlands and forest margins.
Behaviour
Generally solitary or in pairs.
Diet
Usually quiet and inconspicuous as they glean mainly insects from leaves, twigs and bark. Also occasionally eats fruit.
Breeding
Monogamous and territorial. The nest is a shallow cup built using moss, lichen and spider web. One to three eggs are laid September to February (in southern Africa).
Movements
Either resident or local migrant.
Vocalisation
Call: A high-pitched trill.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Hockey, PAR, WRJ Dean, and PG Ryan, eds. 2005. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. 7th ed. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund. ISBN 978-0620340533
- Lepage D. (2020) [Avibase - https://avibase.ca/F9031A09].] Retrieved 30 December2020
- Taylor, B. (2020). Black Cuckooshrike (Campephaga flava), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.blkcus1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black Cuckooshrike. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black_Cuckooshrike
External Links
Use Campehaga flava to
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
Use Black Cuckooshrike to
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
