The interesting facts about this bird will have you quite intrigued and excited at the possibility of hearing its call. The African Emerald Cuckoo is arguably the most beautiful of the six species of cuckoos’ found in our area, as is confirmed by its Afrikaans name, Mooimeisie. Meet the African emerald cuckoo.

He wears a suit of gorgeous emerald green complemented with a waistcoat of stunning golden yellow. The African emerald cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus), is a species of cuckoo is an Old World cuckoo of the Cuculidae genus. Around 8.3 to 9.1 inches in length, these birds weigh about 1.2 ounces. Sporting a short, slim bill and brown-orange eyes, males have a brilliant metallic coat of green plumage, with a bright yellow breast and abdomen.

His tail feathers are tipped with white. Females are brown above, barred with green and white below. A strikingly colorful bird, the African Emerald Cuckoo is found widely throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, occurring in countries like Angola, Botswana, and Burundi.

These birds like to inhabit densely wooded forests with Mopane trees, they will occasionally, however, frequent urban areas, like parks, gardens, and empty buildings. The Emerald Cuckoo likes to dine on insects, like butterflies, ants, locusts, and caterpillars.

Not a species to build its own nest or raise its own young, the female Emerald Cuckoo lays her eggs in the nests of other birds, primarily Yellow-whiskered Bulbuls, Bee Eaters, and Puffback Shrikes. She will usually wait till the nest owners are out foraging and toss out the existing eggs and laying her own. The occupants will come back and incubate the cuckoo eggs, raising the young as their own.

Interesting facts: As mentioned above the call of the male is quite unique, but the female also makes an interesting call described by Sir David Attenborough as the sound of “bathwater gurgling down a plughole”, which is the call she makes when looking for somewhere to lay her eggs. There are many strange beliefs related to Cuckoos. One of the more common beliefs is that it is good luck to have money in your pocket when you hear a Cuckoo. Another belief is that you should repeat whatever you are doing when you hear a Cuckoo as the call is a positive sign that the particular activity will be beneficial.

Other names: The African Emerald Cuckoo is also known as the Emerald Cuckoo, Mooimeisie [Afrikaans], Intananja (Xhosa), uBantwanyana (Zulu), Smaragdkoekoek (Dutch), Smaragdkuckuck (German), Coucou foliotocol (French), Cuculo smeraldino africano (Italian), Cuclillo esmeralda africano, Cucu esmeralda (Spanish), as well as Cuco-esmeraldino (Portuguese).