Clamator is a genus of large cuckoos that are found in warmer parts of southern Europe and Asia, and in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
They inhabit warm open scrubby habitats.
There are five species:
- Great Spotted Cuckoo, Clamator glandarius
- Pied Cuckoo, Clamator jacobinus
- Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Clamator levaillantii
- Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Clamator coromandus
- Red-crested Cuckoo, Clamator krameri
Description
These large cuckoos measure at least 33 cm in length. They have broad chestnut wings and long narrow tails. They are strikingly patterned with black, white and brown plumage. Males and females look alike but the juvenile plumages are distinctive.
Breeding / Nesting
These brood parasites lay a single egg in the nests of medium-sized hosts, such as magpies, starlings, shrikes, laughingthrushes, bulbuls and babblers. Unlike the Common Cuckoo, neither the hen nor the hatched chick of Clamator species evict the host’s eggs, but the host’s young often die because they cannot compete successfully with the larger cuckoo for food.
Calls / Vocalization
These noisy birds emit persistent and loud calls.
Diet / Feeding
They mostly feed on large insects, with a preference for hairy caterpillars, which are distasteful to many birds.
