Clamator cuckoos are found in warmer parts of southern
Europe and
Asia, and in
Africa south of the
Sahara Desert. These are birds of warm open scrubby habitats, but some species are at least partially
migratory, leaving for warmer and wetter areas in winter. These are large cuckoos, all at least long, with broad chestnut wings and long narrow tails. They are strikingly patterned with black, white and brown
plumage. The sexes are similar but the juvenile plumages are distinctive. The two African species each also have two distinct colour morphs, light and dark. All the
Clamator cuckoos are
brood parasites, which lay a single
egg in the
nests of medium-sized hosts, such as
magpies,
starlings,
shrikes,
laughingthrushes,
bulbuls and
babblers, depending on location. 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 cuckoo for food. These are noisy birds, with persistent and loud calls. They feed on large
insects, with hairy
caterpillars, which are distasteful to many birds, being a specialty. ==References==