Photo: Riaan Marais / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Thick-billed Cuckoo
Pachycoccyx audeberti
Thick-billed Cuckoo (Pachycoccyx audeberti) — Cuckoos & Turacos of Africa.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Thick-billed Cuckoo (Pachycoccyx audeberti) is a member of the Cuculidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 103 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Cuculiformes
- Family Cuculidae Cuckoos
- Genus Pachycoccyx
- Species audeberti
Quick facts
- Weight
- 103 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Thick-billed Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Thick-billed Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Thick-billed Cuckoo (Pachycoccyx audeberti) is a species of bird in the Cuculidae family, part of the order Cuculiformes. Its range spans Africa. Its distribution covers AF w, wc, se AF and Madagascar.
It is a medium-sized bird. Adults weighs around 103 g, with a wing length of about 22 cm and a tail of around 19.4 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 4.4 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Thick-billed Cuckoo?
The Thick-billed Cuckoo is a medium-sized bird that weighs around 103 g.
Where does the Thick-billed Cuckoo live?
The Thick-billed Cuckoo is found across Africa with a range covering AF w, wc, se AF and Madagascar, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Thick-billed Cuckoo belong to?
The Thick-billed Cuckoo (Pachycoccyx audeberti) belongs to the Cuculidae family, in the order Cuculiformes.
What does the Thick-billed Cuckoo eat?
The Thick-billed Cuckoo is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Thick-billed Cuckoo migrate?
The Thick-billed Cuckoo is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Thick-billed Cuckoo endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Thick-billed Cuckoo make?
1 real field recording of the Thick-billed Cuckoo — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Thick-billed Cuckoo's range?
The Thick-billed Cuckoo has a mapped global range of about 4.4 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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