Burchell's Coucal

Nest: Built by male¹⁶. Untidy, bulky, loose deep cup, built of grass, lined with leaves; green leaves added during incubation¹⁶. Walls form bower, entrance made by birds barging through wall¹⁴. Outside diam 200-300 mm, height 150-220 mm¹⁴. Placed 0.5-10 m above ground in dense foliage, either in large grass tuft, reedbed, thicket, creeper, bush, hedge or thorny tree¹⁴.

Laying dates: Zimbabwe Sept (3), Oct (5), Nov (7) Dec (2), Jan (1); ne S Africa Sept (1), Oct (3), Nov (12), Dec (12), Jan (8), Feb (8)¹⁷; KwaZulu-Natal Oct (4), Nov (8), Dec (6), Jan (4), Feb (3)³; E Cape Sept (1), Oct (4), Nov (4), Dec (5), Mar (2)⁴; W CapeAug (1), Sept (4), Oct (10), Nov (5), Dec (5), Jan (1)¹⁴.

Eggs: 2-5 (3.6, n = 56)¹⁴, laid at 1 d, less often 2 d intervals; may be laid before nest completed¹⁴. Oval. Chalky white, becoming nest-stained during incubation. Size (n = 55) 30.3-37.6 x 24.5-28.4 mm (34.3 x 26.5 mm)¹².

Incubation: Starts with first-laid egg¹³. Period 15 d, 16 d (n = 2)¹⁴; probably mostly by male¹⁴.

Development & care of young: Chicks hatch asynchronously; 4 eggs hatched over 5 d, with fourth chick hatching 48 hr after first (n = 1)¹⁴. Newly hatched young blind, with black skin and long, white, wiry down on crown and back; down on crown hangs forward over eyes¹⁴. Feet and legs develop rapidly; capable of running and clambering adeptly through undergrowth long before able to fly. Hisses at intruder when touched and voids smelly excreta if handled. Fed mainly by male; 1 nestling stomach contained 17 grasshoppers¹⁴. Leaves nest at ca 21 d (earlier, if disturbed), when feathers may still be partly or mainly in sheaths¹⁴. After leaving nest, begs more insistently, begging accompanied by wing-quivering¹⁸. 1 pair surprised at nest performed broken-wing distraction display¹⁰.

Breeding success: Double- or triple-brooded^5,14. 1 record of second clutch laid 7 wk after first, just after (flightless) young had left nest¹⁴.

Author:CJ Vernon & WRJ Dean