Pied cuckoo, Pied crested cuckoo
The Jacobin cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) is a medium-sized member of the cuckooof family. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival. It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the chataka represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
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starts withThe Jacobin cuckoo is a slim black and white bird with a distinctive crest. The white wing patch on the black wing and the pattern make it unmistakable even in flight. In India, the subspecies serratus is larger and longer-winged than the nominate subspecies found in the southern peninsular region and Sri Lanka. In Africa, subspecies serratus and pica show two phases, a pied phase with white or whitish below and a black phase where the only white is on the wing patch. An all-rufous color phase has been noted in Central Africa.
Jacobin cuckoos occur south of the Sahara in Africa and south of the Himalayas in India. They are also found in Sri Lanka and parts of Myanmar. Within Africa, they may perform some movements but generally, they are resident in tropical Africa. The east African population is migratory and moves over southern Arabia into India during April. Jacobin cuckoos inhabit mainly thorny, dry scrub, savanna, or open woodland. They usually avoid areas of dense forest or extremely dry environments.
Jacobin cuckoos are not very social in their nature. They are usually seen alone or in pairs and spend much of the daytime flying in pairs. These birds are arboreal; they perch, roost, and find their food mainly in trees. However, they may sometimes pick up hairy caterpillars from near or on the ground which they press from end to end to remove the guts before swallowing. Jacobin cuckoos are quite noisy birds. Their common call is a ringing series of whistling notes ‘piu-piu’.
Jacobin cuckoos are carnivores (insectivores). They feed on various insects, especially favoring hairy caterpillars. They may sometimes eat fruits and berries.
Little is known about the mating system of Jacobin cuckoos. Their breeding season varies with location. The birds call from prominent perches and chase each other with slow wing-beats and pigeon-like clapping flight. Courtship feeding has been observed in Africa. Jacobin cuckoos are brood parasites and in India, the host is mainly species of babblers in the genus Turdoides. Female Jacobin cuckoos lay their eggs hurriedly in the morning into the nest of the host often dropped from above while the bird perches on the rim of the nest and over the host eggs often resulting in the cracking of one or more host eggs. In Africa, the males distract the host while the female lays the egg. Multiple eggs may be laid in the nest of a host and two young cuckoos were found to fledge successfully on several occasions. Jacobin cuckoos usually lay 25 eggs per season in different nests. Incubation lasts for 10-11 days. The skin of chicks darkens form pink to purplish brown within 2 days of hatching. The mouth linking is red with yellow gape flanges. Unlike some cuckoos, nestlings do not evict the eggs of the host from the nest although they claim most of the parental attention and food resulting sometimes, in the starvation of host nestlings. Young Jacobin cuckoos fledge 17-18 days after hatching and become fully independent one month later.
There are no major threats to this species at present.
According to IUCN Red List, the Jacobin cuckoo is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
