J. H. Becking

195

Bull. B.O.C. 1988 108(4)The taxonomic status of the Madagascar
Cuckoo Cuculus (poliocephalus) rochii and its
occurrence on the African mainland, including
southern Africa
by J. H. Becking
Received 26 June 1988

Cunningham-van Someren (1988) records the occurrence of the Shy
Albatross Diomedea cauta in Kenya on the basis of a specimen obtained at
sea near Mombasa in November 1986, and mentions that the same severe
weather conditions prevailing at that time probably accounted for a firstrecord of the Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus rochii in Natal, South
Africa. I would like here to draw attention to the fact that the Madagascar
Cuckoo is not a subspecies of the Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus,
but deserves specific status as Cuculus rochii, a conclusion I reached aconsiderable time ago, discussing it as early as 1973 with the late Dr
W. Benson, who agreed with my conclusion. In addition, the abovecited record is not, in fact, the first record of the Madagascar Cuckoo
in Natal.

C

Taxonomic status of the Madagascar CuckooPeters (1940) regarded the Madagascar Cuckoo as a subspecies ('rochii')of the Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus, and at that time nothing was
known of the occurrence of the latter ('nominate') species anywhere in
Africa (Peters 1940: 20). Although in the last decades there have been anumber of occurrences in Africa, it seems appropriate to review theavailable material of the poliocephalus 'rochii taxa.
The main criterion for separating the Madagascar Cuckoo 'Cuculus
rochii from the Lesser Cuckoo 'nominate Cuculus poliocephalus' and for
raising it to specific status, I consider to be the difference in vocalization.
C. rochii produces phrases of 4 evenly spaced notes, ranging in frequency
between 0.7 and 1.2 KHz, in which each note starts high, but proceedswith a rapid slur downwards. In contrast to this, C. poliocephalus
produces repetitive phrases of 6, or occasionally 5, notes, much morehigh-pitched, having a frequency between 1.5 and 2.5 KHz. Moreover, in
poliocephalus, each note rises and falls in pitch, audible to the human ear as/"kyoh" (Fig. 1).
Verbalized, the call of rochii can be represented by the syllables "ka-kakd-ko", and that of poliocephalus by "kyo-kyoh-kyoh-kyoh-kyoh-kyoh" inthe case of the 6-note form. In addition, the individual sounds that poliocephalus makes in its call-phrase are much shorter, the 6-note phrase
taking about the same time (1.0 sec) as C. rochii takes for its 4-note phrase(see Fig. 1).
I have been able to make adequate and accurate comparisons between
the calls of all other Asiatic and African cuckoo species, from my own tapeJ. H. Becking

Bull. B.O.C. 1988 108(4)196

recordings and those of colleagues. From all of these, sonograms havebeen made and were used to allocate the former "Lesser Cuckoo" in SE
Asia Cuculus poliocephalus lepidus and its associated subspecies C.p.
insulindae to the Himalayan Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus (Wells & Becking
1975, Becking 1975). The last note of C. rochii'?, call is not always distinctly lower than the preceding ones; there exists a considerable amountof variation in the vocalizations. More details on the differences in vocalization of various individuals or populations of rochii and the specificfemale call will be published elsewhere.
It is safe to conclude from these data that the only cuckoo vocalization
reminiscent of the call of C. rochii is superficially that of the Indian
Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus, which also produces phrases of 4 elements,
with a different phonetic timbre and melody obvious to the human ear
and apparent in sonograms (Fig. 1).
measure of the degree of resemblance of the call of rochii to that of micropterus, as observed by the humanear, can be found in their native names. The Malagasy name (current in
Tananariva) for rochii is Taon-taon-kafa, an onomatopoeic interpretationof the call. In translation taon(a) = year and kafa or hafa = next
(suggesting the meaning "I will makenest next year"). Cowan (1881)
gives the following local native names for the Madagascar Cuckoo:
Kakqfotra (locality: Hova), Kankafotsa (Betsileo), Kankafo (Bara),
Kakafatra, Kakafo (Tanala), Taotaonkafa (N. Sakalava), Kankafotsa(N Betsimisaraka), Boto-kong'kong (N Antakarana), all of them onomatopoeic interpretations. The onomatopoeic interpretations of the call ofAmymicropterus on Java are:Ka-kang-kd-to"(kakang = brother and kdto
or gdtok = the beating on wood, Javanese) or more illustratively<(
Opat-pdtok" ( = the 4 sticks, Sundanese) and "Beldnda mdbok"(Belanda = Dutchman and mabok = drunk, Indonesian/Malayan, saying
literally "The Dutchmen are drunk").
Apart from its vocalization, rochii can be separated from poliocephalus
by a number of biometrical and morphological characteristics. Specimensof rochii are relatively larger and males especially have greater wing<<

(160-179 mm) and tail (135-155 mm) measurements compared with
149-161
and 124— 142
in poliocephalus (see Appendix 1). The

mm

mm

larger size of the Madagascar Cuckoo is also reflected in the weights,
which range between c.60— 65 g in rochii (Benson et al. 1976) andc.46— 56 g in adult poliocephalus (see Appendix 2).
Nestlings, fledglings still being fed by foster-parents, and immatures ofrochii normally have plumages with hepatic features (that is to say,reddish brown feathers with dark brown to black transverse bands); yet acharacteristic distinguishing rochii from poliocephalus is the apparently
complete absence of a wholly-hepatic female plumage in rochii, while
hepatic poliocephalus females occur very frequently. In all the females
which I have seen of the Madagascar Cuckoo in various collections, only afew partially-hepatic specimens occur. One of these is an old, formerly
mounted, specimen from October 1880, obtained in Imerina, Central
Madagascar (leg. J.M. Hildebrandt), in the Senckenberg Museum,Frankfurt (SM) (reg. no. 27781). Although it shows many hepatic features, it has, however, some blue on the throat, a bluish back, and slateblue upper tail-coverts. Its plumage is certainly not fully adult, and it197

J. H. Becking

Bull. B.O.C. 1988 108(4)Figure 2. Differences in the black-grey patterning on the small feathers covering the carpometacarpal joint of Cuculus rochii (the 3 left feathers) and Cuculus poliocephalus (rightfeather). 2 x life-size.

might even be wrongly sexed, as the wing ( 174 mm, left) and tail(144 mm) measurements are within the male range. Two females in the
Paris (MNHN) museum are in intermediate plumage, changing fromhepatic to blue, i.e. one specimen from Andapa (leg. A. L. Rand, 15. viii.
1930), the other from Tulear (leg. Ph. Milon, 18. xi. 1947). The dates
suggest that they are 2nd-year birds and probably ready to breed in thisplumage.
To my knowledge, none of the plumages of rochii ever exhibits any
rusty or bufTy in the grey areas on the throat and the sides of the neck,whereas this is quite common in poliocephalus. Furthermore, in adultrochii, the small feathers over the upper edge of the carpo-metacarpal
joint on the upperside of the wing have a spotted or banded pattern,whereas in adult poliocephalus these small feathers normally have a grey/
black inner vane and a completely white or whitish outer vane (see Fig. 2).
The latter feature is especially prominent in adult specimens of the bluephase of poliocephalus, but in immatures and hepatic females this feature,ismore obscure.
Finally, there are some minor morphological differences between both

species. In adult specimens of rochii, the angle between the left and rightlower mandible bones (namely the dentary and surangular bones) is wider
and the arch of the symphysis connecting them more rounded; in poliocephalus, the angle between these 2 lower mandible bones is somewhat moreacute and the arch connecting them rostrally is more pointed (see Fig. 3).

Occurrence of Cuculus rochii on the African mainland
Cunningham-van Someren's (1988) record of Cuculus {poliocephalus)rochii,obtained in November 1986, is incorrectly reported as the firstfrom Natal. There is, however, in the British Museum (Natural History)(BMNH) at Tring a previously unrecognized Cuculus rochii specimen
from Natal. It is an immature bird, unsexed and undated (BMNH reg.
no. 89.6.25.94), obtained in Durban (29°53'S, 31°00'E), Natal, collectedby Henry Gordge during last century, and formerly in the ShelleyMuseum collection.
From recoveries of C. rochii elsewhere on the mainland of Africa, it isclear that this cuckoo migrates from Madagascar (Malagasy) in the offseason. Its principal migration into Africa is northwestward or westward,
and only occasionally or accidently is it more southwestwards (see Fig. 4).
The main breeding season in Madagascar falls in November andDecember. The first birds returning from their winter quarters on the
African mainland arrive in SW Madagascar at the end of August andJ. H. Becking

Bull. B.O.C. 1988 108(4)198

increase in numbers during September (as is apparent from their calls),
with a distinct peak about the middle of October (O. Appert). The latest
post-breeding birds observed or collected in Madagascar are from the endof March or the beginning of April. Accordingly, most of the extensive

BMNH

skin material of C. rochii in the major museums, i.e.
(Tring),Cambridge Univ. Museum (UK),(Leiden),(Paris),Natur-Museum Senckenberg (SM, Frankfurt), Museum Koenig

MNHN

RMNH

(Bonn), Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet (NR, Stockholm), and

AMNH(New York), as examined by me, was collected in Madagascar between
October and December, with some collected in August and Septemberor between January and March. The sole exception is an immature(juvenile ?) specimen collected on 4. v. 1881
reg. no. 89.6.25.93,(BMNH

Rev. W. D. Cowan) in Madagascar (locality not given). (William
Deans Cowan was a missionary in Antananarivo ( = Tananarive), Central
Madagascar and the author of a remarkable booklet (see references on
Madagascar birds and their native names).
Most rochii from the African mainland have been obtained in theeastern Congo basin (see Fig. 4), between the beginning of June and the
middle of August, i.e. outside the breeding season. I have seen the greater
portion of all extant material of rochii from the African mainland, butsome specimens could not be traced or could not be obtained on loan, andI was, in fact, involved in the identification of some of these specimens(e.g. those obtained by Dr C. W. Benson and the mist-netting records ofleg.

MrsD.B.Hanmer).
The following material I have actually examined: At NR, Stockholm,
there is one specimen of rochii obtained at Kasindi (0°03'N, 29°43'E),
E. Congo (leg. E. Arrhenius) in August 1913 (NR reg. no. 177).

The Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika (KMMA, Tervuren,
Belgium), has a number of rochii specimens: from Kamituga (3°04'S,
28°11'E), Itombwe, E. Zaire (Congo), collected on 6.vi.l958 (leg. A.
Prigogine); from Bulaimu (0°37'N, 29°50'E), Kivu district, E. Zaire, collected on 30.vi.1912 (leg. M. Pilette); from Idjwi Island in Lake Kivu
(1°56 S-2°17 S, 28°58'E-29°07'E), Itombwe, 2 specimens, one collected
at 1860m on ll.vii.1965, the other collected on 14.viii.1969 (both leg.
A. Prigogine) (see Schouteden 1950, 1968, Prigogine 1971). Two other(New York).
rochii specimens from the Congo territory are in
One specimen was collected at Tshibati (2°14'S, 28°47'E) at 1970 on
the southwestern side of Lake Kivu in the eastern highlands of Zaire on
reg. no. 764020), in a
15.vi.1953 (leg. J. P. and R. T. Chapin,
mixed habitat of fire-affected montane bamboo, dry evergreen forest andscrub woodland (see Chapin et al. 1987). The other specimen was collected at Avakubi (1°20'N, 27°55'E), Haut-Zaire, on 4.vii.l914 (leg. J. P.
reg. no. 159064).
Chapin, Congo Expedition,
I have examined only 2 specimens, apart from the South African record
mentioned above, which were not obtained in the Congo basin, but somewhere in between the Congo and the east coast. Of these, one was colof Kampala, close to Lakelected in Gombe (0°30'N, 32°28'E), 30 km
reg. no.
Victoria, Uganda on 9.viii.l905 (leg. F. J. Jackson,
265295). The other, obtained in Kasama (10°10'S, 37°10'E), Zambia, on
16.xi.1954 (leg. C. W. Benson), is preserved in the Natural History
,

,

AMNH

AMNH

AMNH

NW

AMNH

m

J. H. Becking

199

Bull.B.O.C. 1988 108(4)30°S

Cuculus rochii
Figure 4.

Map of southern Africa, with localities from which Cuculus rochii is known.

Some localities in Madagascar, where C. rochii occurs throughout the island in the wooded(wetter) regions are given. Onlv well-known localities are indicated, from south to north.

Madagascar: (1) Tulear (23°20'S, 43°41'E), (2) Ivohibe (22°28'S, 46°53'E), (3) Perinet
CC(18 56'S, 48 26'E), (4) Andapa(14°53'S, 50°16'E), (5) Coast opposite Nossi Be Isl. (13°22'S,
C
48 25'E) and (6) Mt d'Ambre (1 1°58'S, 49°14'E). Mainland Africa. Localities of collected
specimens (one mist-netted) from south to north: (7) Durban, Natal, S. Africa (29°53'S,C
31 00'E), (8) Nchalo, Southern Region Malawi, Chikwawa Distr. (16°16'S, 34°55'E), (9)C
Kasama, Zambia (10 10'S, 37°10'E), (10) Isoko, Rungwe Distr., S. Tanzania (9°25'S,
33'31'E), (11) Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania/E. Zaire (c.4°51'S, 29°41'E), (12) Kamituga,
Itombwe, E. Zaire (Congo) (3°04'S, 28°11'E), (13) Tshibati, SW. side of Lake Kivu, E.
C
Zaire (2"14'S, 28 47'E), (14) Idjwi Isl. in Lake Kivu, Itombwe, E. Zaire (1°56'S-2°17'S,
28'58'E-29°07'E), (15) Kisenyi (or Gisenye), Lake Kivu, Rwanda (1°41'S, 29°15'E), (16)Kasmdi, E. Zaire (0°03'N, 29°43'E), (17) Gombe, Lake Victoria, Uganda (0°30'N, 32°28'E),(18) Bulaimu, Kivu Distr. E. Zaire (0°37'N, 29°50'E) and (19) Avakubi, E. Zaire (1°20'N,

27 55'E).

Museum of Zimbabwe (NHMZ), Bulawayo (see Benson 1956 andBenson et al. 1971) and was identified as C. (poliocephalus) rochii. A third
specimen collected by C. W. Benson and sexed as a male, was obtained on
13.ix.1947 at Isoko (9°25'S, 33°31'E), Rungwe District, southern
Tanzania. On the basis of its wing length (163 mm) and weight, it is very

J. H. Becking

200

Bull. B.O.C. 1988 108(4)probably rochii (see also Benson & Benson 1949, 1977). It was originallypresented by Benson to the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria, but is nolonger there (Dr C. A. Kemp).
An immature cuckoo, mist-netted, ringed and released by Mrs D. B.
Hanmer at Nchalo (16°16'S, 34°55'E, altitude c.60 m), Malawi, Southern
Region, District Chikwawa (c. 26 km SE of Chikwawa, on the south bankof Shire River) was also probably rochii in view of its wing length (asimmature) and weight (wing 159 mm, tail 141 mm, weight 62 g), since 2
poliocephalus specimens, netted at the same place (14.iv.87 and 16.iv.87)
weighed only 46.9 g and 47.5 g (D. B. Hanmer) (see below). An additional
argument for its being rochii is the date of capture: 4.V.1979. An identicalbird was seen again in the same garden on 12. v. and 9.vi. 1979, but not
afterwards; the species is very rare in Nchalo, so it is very likely that it was
the same bird (D. B. Hanmer). An additional argument for assigning thisbird to rochii is the fact that it showed interrupted moult in P 1—4 and S 8(counting from mid wing) (D. B. Hanmer), which is to be expected inrochii in May/June, but not in poliocephalus.
Two further Cuculus specimens which have been cited in the literature
as C. {poliocephalus) rochii, but which I have not examined, are
an immature female obtained by V. Stegmann at Kisenyi (1°41'S,
29°15'E), Lake Kivu, Rwanda on 26.vi.1908 (see Reichenow 1912,
Chapin 1939, Schouteden 1950), and another specimen obtained near

Lake Tanganyika (c. 4°51'S, 29°41'E), sex unrecorded and date unknown,by E. Storms (see Dubois 1888, Schouteden 1950). The Rwanda
specimen at least will almost certainly turn out to be rochii.
All localities of rochii specimens from the African mainland which I
have examined myself are indicated in Fig. 4.

The migration pattern of Cuculus poliocephalus
Cuculus poliocephalus has a completely different migration pattern fromthat of C. rochii for it is a long-distance migrant, covering large expansesof open sea. Breeding in Japan and China and along the Himalayas from
Pakistan through Kashmir, Nepal, Bhutan and Assam to the mountainregions of Burma, it migrates at the beginning of the northern winter tosouthern India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon); the northeastern populations,from Japan and China especially, follow an eastern route, passing theAndaman Islands (from where the species has been recorded) on the way
to Sri Lanka (or vice versa). In winter the species is relatively common insouthern India, and particularly in Sri Lanka, in the period before departure to the African continent and, occasionally, on some of the adjacentislands. In spring, Sri Lanka is also the main landfall and staging-post for
populations from further east. The
possesses 10 poliocephalus
skins from Sri Lanka collected, according to the ones dated, in 2 separate
periods
September to early February and April-May, mainly from the
,

BMNH

—

west and southwest: Bogawantawa, 30.ix.1913 (leg. W. Phillips); Ceylon
26.xii.1870 (Hume collection); Galapitakande, Namunukula, 7.ii.l948(leg. W. W. A. Phillips); a number of specimens from Dehiwala, 4 km S of
Colombo, on the coast of the Western Provinces, dated 18.iv.1950,
12.iv.1953, 27.iv.1953 and ll.v.1953, all collected by W. W. A. Phillips.

.

J. H. Becking

201

Bull. B.O.C. 1988 108(4)The main arrivals on the African mainland seem to occur on the coasts
of Kenya and Tanzania, judging by the frequency of collection in theseareas. Although not particularly abundant, poliocephalus seems to be notuncommon in the more northern localities, as often 2 or more specimens
are obtained in the same place on the same or successive days. All specimens of poliocephalus in Africa have been obtained between November
and April. Localities and dates of the recorded material, and the museums
in which they are preserved, are listed in Table 1
Some poliocephalus individuals occasionally use the Seychelles, andprobably neighbouring islands, as intermediate stations, occasionallyvisiting the same areas on their return journey. Up to now, there havebeen 2 reliable records from the Seychelles: one specimen (BMNH)
reg. no.
found dead in Mahe, 25. iv. 1965 (leg. C. W. Benson,
1967.39.2); the other, also found dead on Mahe, at Anse auPins, October
1979 (RMNH, leg. Dr R. Wilson).
One undated and unsexed (formerly mounted) specimen from
Madagascar in the Senckenberg Museum (Frankfurt) collection('Madagascar, bought by C. Ebenau, 1878') (reg. no. 27780), is labelled as'rochii' though I would regard it as poliocephalus because it shows all
characteristics typical of that species, i.e. (1) the more acute arch of thesymphysis connecting the mandible bones, (2) the uniform grey/blackcoloration of the inner vane of the small feathers covering the carpometacarpal joint on the upper side of the wing, and (3) the buffy or rusty
tinge to the grey parts of the throat. Its wing-measurement is rather large(159 mm), but well within the range of male specimens of poliocephalus(see Appendices 1 & 2). In the museum collections which I haveexamined, it is the sole specimen of C. poliocephalus from Madagascar.
Numerous study skins in various museums prove the presence of poliocephalus in central Africa. From north to south, the following specimens
have been obtained: Kenya (4), Tanzania (10), Malawi (2), Zambia (1),Zimbabwe (2) and Mozambique (1). Some of these records have been
published by Moreau & Moreau (1937), Benson (1951,1953,1956),
Benson et al. (1970, 1971, 1976), Benson & Benson (1977) and Clancey

BMNH(1960,1964).
The 2 specimens, mentioned above, which were mist-netted andreleased by Mrs D. B. Hanmer in Nchalo, Malawi, on 14 and 16 April
1987, were considered also to be poliocephalus on the basis of theirmeasurements and weights: wing 159 mm, tail 126 mm, 46.9 g, andwing 160 mm, tail 128 mm, 47.5 g, respectively. Both specimens wereof the blue phase, apparently immatures which had recently moulted
into adult dark-grey plumage. One bird (16.iv.1987) was in completely
new plumage, the other (14. iv. 1987) was also in new dress, except S 4.
These new plumages are in agreement with the moulting pattern of C.
poliocephalus, at the beginning of its breeding season, but certainly notin agreement with the moult of C. rochii at this time of year. Moreover,both specimens showed typical poliocephalus plumage-features, having
a deep reddish (tending to crimson-red) plumage on the nape and theside of the neck, and the grey throat area faintly buffy (D. B. Hanmer),shown in a colour-slide of the 14.iv.1987 specimen, provided by Mrs

Hanmer.

J. H. Becking

Bull. 5.0.0.1988 108(4)

202

TABLE

1

List of specimens of Cuculus poliocephalus collected on the African mainland, arranged from

North to SouthNUMBERS and LOCALITY
Kenya

(4)

Tanzania(2)

Coastal region near Kilifi (Sokoke Forest) (3°37'S, 39°50'E),
10. iv.-18.iv.1958 (leg. P. A. Clancey), Durban Museum.

32 km and 48 km

NWof Tanga (c.4°54'S, 38°44'E), 31.iii.1934
BMNH.

(leg. R. E. Moreau),(2)

Amani (5°09'S, 38°36'E), 26.xi.^kxii.l931(leg. R. E. Moreau),(3)

Nkumbi (5°1 l'S, 38°54'E), 8 km E of Muheza, 1 1 & 12.iv.1934(leg. R. E. Moreau),(1)

Zambia

BMNH.
BMNH.

UluguruMts., Morogoro Distr. (7°2'S, 37°40'E), l.iii.1962(leg. Th. Andersen), RMNH.

(2)Mikindani, Mtwara Distr. (10°16'S, 40°05'E), 4 & 5.iii.l965(leg. Th. Andersen), RMNH.

(1)

Jumbe, Luangwa Valley, near Chipata ( = Fort Jameson) (13°16'S,32°07'E), 20.iii.1953 (leg. C. W. Benson),

Malawi(1)

Dedza Distr. (14°20'S, 34°24'E), southern Malawi, 6.iii.l951(leg. C.

(1)

W. Benson), BMNH.

Mitongwe, Ncheu Distr. (14°50'S, 34°45'E), 16.ii.1951(leg. C.

Zimbabwe

W. Benson), BMNH.

(2)

Nchalo (16°16'S, 34°55'E), southern Malawi, 14.iv.1987 and16. iv. 1987 (mist-netted by Mrs D. B. Hanmer, see text).

(2)

Haroni/Lusitu confluence, 360 m(20°02'S, 33°01'E), 19.i.l966and
17. iv. 1964 (leg. H. D. Jackson and a collector given only as P. A.
1518, respectively),

Mozambique

NHMZ.

(1)

NHMZ.

6.2kmWofMocuba(16°52'S, 36°57'E),29.i.l932(leg. J. Vincent),

BMNH.

Again, I would like to emphasize that I have not seen all material extant
in museum collections. Of these, one specimen in the

NHMZ, Bulawayo,

collected at Danger Hill II, near Mpika (11°30'S, 31°35'E), sex unrecorded, by W. E. Poles on 1 1 .iii.l 952 (see also Benson & White 1957,

Benson et al. 1973) was on loan and not available. It had been recognizedby Benson, on the basis of its wing-length, as a true C. poliocephalus.
Another specimen, an adult male with a wing-measurement of 149.5 mm,collected on Mt. Selinda (20°24'S, 32°43'E), Melsetter District, eastern
Zimbabwe by Sandground, on 29.iii.1930 (now in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA), surely must
be poliocephalus A third specimen, mentioned by Verheyen (1935: 309).

J. H. Becking

Bull. B.O.C. 1988 108(4)203

for Shinkulu in the Upemba National Park (c. 8°40'S, 27°00'E), in Zaire,
collected 26.xi.1947, has also not been seen. Other specimens may bepresent in the smaller regional museums, but probably not in southern
Africa, as this species is not mentioned in handbooks of regions south ofGrant, Ser.2, 1962).
30°S (Clancey 1960, 1964, Mackworth-Praed&

Conclusions

On the basis of vocalization, some biometrical and some minor morphologicalplumage and mandible characteristics (in adult specimens), C.

rochii is a good species. Moreover, adult females of rochii lack the rufous

hepatic phase common in C. poliocephalus. Clearly C. rochii is not related
to C. poliocephalus and cannot therefore be united in a superspecies with
C. poliocephalus.
The main migration route of C. rochii is in a northwest direction from
Madagascar towards the Congo basin, apparently following a rather
narrow 'corridor' on the African mainland (see Fig. 4).
C. policephalus has been recorded from numerous places on the African
mainland. It is now shown that it occurs also on the Seychelles (2 records)
and in Madagascar (1 record) at a time when rochii is also present.
These 2 cuckoo species are probably much more common in theirwinter quarters than collecting and sight records indicate, being rather
shy and extremely elusive. Moreover, on their winter grounds, they arecompletely silent.

Acknowledgements
am much indebted to the late Dr C. W. Benson (Department of Zoology, Cambridge
University, UK) for stimulating discussions and for help during this work. I would also liketo thank Mr Otto Appert, MSF (Werthenstein, Switzerland) for supplying me with tapeI

recordings of C. rochii, and the Zoological Department, University of Amsterdam (Drs
Tj. van Dijk and J. van der Weyden) for allowing me to use their equipment and for help in
preparing the sonograms.
I am grateful to the curators of the various museums mentioned above for permission to
examine specimens in collections under their care. I would like to thank Dr G. F. Mees
fRMXH, Leiden) for kindly commenting on a draft of this paper. I am most grateful to Mrs
V. J. Mees-Balchin (Leiderdorp) for correcting the English text.
References:& Ripley, S. D. 1981. Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan, vol. 3 (2nd ed.).
(See p. 213.) Oxford University Press.
Becking, J. H. 1975. New evidence of the specific affinity of Cuculus lepidusMuller Ibis 117

Ali, S.

.

(3): 275-284.

Benson, C. W. 1951. The Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus poliocephalus Latham in
Nyasaland. Ibis 93: 627-628.
Benson, C. \V. 1953. Check List of the Birds of Nyasaland. (See p. 34.) Blantyre and Lusaka:Nyasaland Society and Joint Publications Bureau.
Benson, C. W. 1956. New or unusual records from Northern Rhodesia. Ibis 98: 595-605.
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,

Address: Dr J. H. Becking, 7 Ericalaan, 6703

EM Wageningen, The Netherlands.

© British Ornithologists' Club 1988

APPENDIX 1
Wing- and tail-length measurements (in mm) of material examined of Cuculus rochii andCuculus poliocephalus

Madagascar Cuckoo Cuculus rochii
Madagascar and Africa

Wings

1

sex & age

n

range

x

SD

n

ad.c?

28
4

imm.

19

(160-179)(158-163)(149-166)

167.0
160.5
157.0

4.96
2.08
4.96

28

ad.? 2

4
18

Tails
range

(135-155)(134-141)(132-156)

x

SD

144.3
138.1
141.2

3.01
7.33

5.70

1.5-,

1.0-

0.5-

I

12

3

4

5

seconds

4.0-1

3.0-

N
12.0-

fe*

-*—%/*£ fif-'t&:

1.0-

0-

i

0.5

1.0

seconds
1.&1

KM

f

#rr

1.0-

Q5
1

2

3

4

5

secondsJ.

H. Becking. Figure -1. Sonograms comparing the calls of 3 cuckoo species. A. Cuculus

rochii (recorded in Madagascar). B. Cuculus poliocephalus (recorded in Japan). C. Cuculus
micropterus (recorded in India).

1

cm

cm

1

H. Becking. Figure 3. Comparison of the angle between left and right mandible bones andarch of the symphysis connecting them in Cuculus rochii and C. poliocephalus In rochii
adults the angle between the mandible bones is wide and the connexion rounded, in poliocephalus adults the angle is narrower and the connexion more acute. In immatures thesefeatures are not so pronounced, but in rochii the angle of mandible bones is still wide.
(A) Adult Cuculus rochii
reg. no. 80.5.1.3), (B) Adult Cuculus poliocephalus
reg. no. 87.12.2.143), (C) Immature Cuculus rochii from Durban, Natal
J.

.

(BMNH

reg. no. 89.6.25.94).

(BMNH

(BMNH