Pied Cuckoo – Sunbah Farms

Whilst birding the southwest this summer I came across a number of Pied Cuckoos. This species like most Cuckoos lays its eggs in the nest of a host species, babbler or bulbul, which then unknowingly raises the cuckoo chick as if it were one of its own. The species is migratory, breeding in sub-Saharan Africa, southwestern Arabia, southern Iran and from India to Myanmar. Most winter around the African equator or southern India. It has a status in Saudi Arabia as a scarce breeding migrant and is usually found below 1000 m in steep dry valleys with scattered bushes and trees in the lower foothills, or in acacia scrub in the Tihama. It can, however, be seen in the mountains of the Asir as well in very small numbers in the summer.

Pied Cuckoo

Whilst birding the southwest this summer I came across a number of Pied Cuckoos. This species like most Cuckoos lays its eggs in the nest of a host species, babbler or bulbul, which then unknowingly raises the cuckoo chick as if it were one of its own. The species is migratory, breeding in sub-Saharan Africa, southwestern Arabia, southern Iran and from India to Myanmar. Most winter around the African equator or southern India. It has a status in Saudi Arabia as a scarce breeding migrant and is usually found below 1000 m in steep dry valleys with scattered bushes and trees in the lower foothills, or in acacia scrub in the Tihama. It can, however, be seen in the mountains of the Asir as well in very small numbers in the summer. I have never managed to get good photos of this species and this trip proved no different with the below the best I could manage.

Birding Malaki Dam Lake

We visited Malaki Dam Lake recently and saw quite a few Pied Cuckoo including adults and juveniles. This species is restricted to the southwest of the Kingdom where it is an uncommon summer visitor. Another summer visitor seen was White-throated Bee-eater, where again we saw both adults and juveniles. At the lake itself we located a few Pink-backed Pelican and plenty of Little Grebes as well as a Grey-headed Kingfisher and a calling Abyssinian Roller.

Abyssinian Roller

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Pied Cuckoo

Pied Cuckoo

Pink-backed Pelican

Pink-backed Pelican

White-throated Bee-eater

White-throated Bee-eater

Pied Cuckoo – Tanoumah

Whilst birdwatching the southwest of the Kingdom in July, around Tanoumah, I came across at two Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinusa species not often seen in the Kingdom. The Pied Cuckoo is a scarce and irregular summer visitor to the southern Red Sea, the Tihamah, Asir and Hejaz north to Taif. It is unclear if it breeds or is a migrant but the timing of birds in the middle of the summer months of June and July suggest it breeds in Saudi Arabia. They occur in thorn-scrub, cultivated areas, and parasitise mainly Bulbuls and Babblers. They normally occur below 1000 metres but have been seen in the mountains of the west of Saudi Arabia up to 2000 metres. The subspecies that occurs is C. j. pica that occurs from sub-Saharan Africa S to northwest India and Myanmar. This record was at 2000 metres above sea level so at the top of the elevation range for the species in Saudi Arabia.

Seven Pied Cuckoos – Sabya area

Whilst birdwatching the southwest of the Kingdom in July, around Sabya, I came across at least seven Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus a species not often seen in the Kingdom. Birds were seen near Sabya Waste Water Treatment Lagoons (three) as well as at Phil’s Fields (four). Some of the birds appeared to be pairs and others were heard calling, the first time I have heard them in the Kingdom. The Pied Cuckoo is a scarce and irregular summer visitor to the southern Red Sea, the Tihamah, Asir and Hejaz north to Taif. It is unclear if it breeds or is a migrant but the timing of birds in the middle of the summer months of June and July suggest it breeds in Saudi Arabia. They occur in thorn-scrub, cultivated areas, and parasitise mainly Bulbuls and Babblers. They normally occur below 1000 metres but have been seen in the mountains of the west of Saudi Arabia up to 2000 metres. The subspecies that occurs is C. j. pica that occurs from sub-Saharan Africa S to northwest India and Myanmar.

Saudi Arabia’s most northerly record of Pied Cuckoo at Wadi Thee Gazelle - Taif

Whilst birding in Wadi Thee Gazelle we came across a Pied Cuckoo, a species that is only recorded in the far southwest of the Kingdom with this record many hundreds of Kilometers north of the most northerly record and much higher in altitude (1850 metres above sea level) than normal. Pied Cuckoo are thought to be passage migrants through the area, mainly in May, but breeding has occurred in the Abha area at a similar height to the Taif record. The cuckoo we saw was being mobbed by a number of birds including Spectacled Bulbuls and flew before any photos could be taken so I have shown a photo of a bird I took in summer 2014 near Sabya below.

Phil’s Fields Sabya

We spent the early afternoon of 2 July birding two very large grassy fields inland from Sabya that Phil located as I was driving along the main Ad Dabi to Sabya road (17 07.58N, 42 41.62E). The fields were on the right hand side of the road going towards Sabya and had large pivot irrigation equipment stored by them. The fields were very green with tall plants growing in them and some quite wide tracks where the pivot irrigation wheels had driven. The area looked excellent for locating Zitting Cisticola, Singing Bushlarks and Arabian Sparrows and as soon as we were out of the car we heard Zitting Cisticola. They took a little time to get views of as they spent most of the time flying high in the sky and diving for cover but eventually a couple were seen perched on grass stems and others close by in flight with more than twenty birds seen in total.

Zitting Cisticola

Arabian Golden Sparrows

A walk across the fields soon produced 10+ Singing Bushlarks flushed from the grass and the small size and bright underwing coverts could clearly be seen. Several birds gave brief songs in flight but most were silent. Two Crested larks were also seen for comparison. As I was walking down one of the tracks in the field I flushed a Small Buttonquail which gave good, but short, flight views and was not seen again (see previous comments on Small Buttonquail under Malaki Dam Lake account). The very small size, flight action and wing pattern gave the species identity away. Later we flushed a dark Quail and got reasonable views of a bird in flight and on the ground that looked like it may well have been Harlequin Quail. Common Quail could not be 100% eliminated but the time of year does not appear right for the migrant Common Quail, although we saw a number of what appeared to be unusually early migrants on this trip, hence no conclusive identity was given to the bird. 

Pied Cuckoo

White-throated Bee-eater

Black Bush Robin

Phil then located a large flock of over 300 Arabian Golden Sparrows that were continually on the move and proved very difficult to photograph until a few flew into a nearby hedge, where they were less mobile. Next to the hedge we found a European Roller on a pivot irrigation water system, presumably a very early migrant and further along the same equipment there was a Pied Cuckoo with another two seen together further along the hedge. These birds are thought to be passage migrants through the area, mainly in May, but the sighting had us wondering if they were breeding in the area. Breeding was later confirmed by Lou Regenmorter when he saw a young Pied Cuckoo in a different location near Abha being fed by a party of Arabian Babblers. Other good birds seen included 15+ White-throated Bee-eaters, two Little Green Bee-eaters and two Black Bush Robins. 50+ Western Cattle Egrets, one Squacco Heron and several Crested Larks also present and four African Palm Swifts were flying about. Five Common Myna, 20+ Ruppell’s Weavers and several House Sparrows were also seen.