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Recordings
Scientific Name
Clamator glandarius
Arabic Name
الوقواق المنقط الكبير
Kuwaiti name
سمساح
Family
Width
66.0 cm
Length
40.0 cm
Information
Rare passage migrant seen primarily in spring in oases and plantations. This exotic-looking cuckoo lays its eggs in corvid nests, with nearest breeding areas being in Iran. Young birds and adults are seasoned wanderers and can show up quite far away from their breeding areas.
Where in Kuwait
Found in mature orchard and woodland habitat with large trees; it is generally secretive and quiet on passage.
In the world
It has an large range perhaps with a stable population and is a renowned brood parasite. It breeds in southern and eastern Europe and northern Africa, around the Mediterranean, and as far east as Iraq and Iran. In winter, the majority of great spotted cuckoos migrate south, some travelling beyond the Sahara. It is insectivore, feeding mainly on large caterpillars which, remarkably, it will remove any hairs from before eating.
Local threats
No major threats since the species is a rare passage migrant in Kuwait.