African Emerald Cuckoo

African Emerald Cuckoo

Chrysococcyx cupreus

Silhouette: Nicolas Huet le Jeune and Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Semuliki National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

139 Verified sightings at Semuliki National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,977 In all 26 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the African Emerald Cuckoo

The African emerald cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) is a species of cuckoo that is native to Africa. As a member of the family Cuculidae, the African emerald cuckoo is an Old World cuckoo. C. c. insularum: São Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón (Gulf of Guinea) Its range covers most of sub-Saharan Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The African emerald cuckoo is sexually dimorphic. The males have a green back and head with a yellow breast. Females are barred green and brown on their backs and green and white on their breasts. The African emerald cuckoo can also be identified by its... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:18

South Africa · 2021

© Ian-Malcolm Rijsdijk · XC1042847 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song1:02

South Africa · 2023

© Albert Lastukhin · XC895372 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:44

Zambia · 2023

© Dries Van de Loock · XC854346 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Semuliki National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
2 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
3 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
4 Odzala-Kokoua National Park 🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo
~20%
5 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
6 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
7 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
8 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
9 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
10 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
11 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
12 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
13 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
14 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
15 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
16 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
17 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
18 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
<5%
19 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
20 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
21 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
22 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
23 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
24 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
25 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
26 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
2 Yaoundé 🇨🇲 Cameroon
~10%
3 Abidjan 🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire
~10%
4 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an African Emerald Cuckoo in Semuliki National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report an African Emerald Cuckoo sighting in Semuliki National Park on a given day, based on 139 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 44th most-seen of the 280 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an African Emerald Cuckoo in Semuliki National Park?

January–February and April

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report an African Emerald Cuckoo in Semuliki National Park on a given day, against about 10% in July, the lowest month. Those are among Semuliki National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in May.

What time of day is best to see an African Emerald Cuckoo?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Emerald Cuckoo sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Semuliki National Park the best place to see an African Emerald Cuckoo?

Yes

Of the 26 parks where we can rate African Emerald Cuckoo sightings, Semuliki National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Kibale National Park (Uganda, about 30%) and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, about 20%).

Which relatives of the African Emerald Cuckoo live in Semuliki National Park?

Same genus: Chrysococcyx

The closest relatives of the African Emerald Cuckoo that you can see in Semuliki National Park (genus Chrysococcyx, Emerald Cuckoos and allies) are Yellow-throated Cuckoo (about 40%), Klaas's Cuckoo (about 10%) and Dideric Cuckoo (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the African Emerald Cuckoo sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the African Emerald Cuckoo is recorded against all the birds logged in Semuliki National Park (139 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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