The Jacobin cuckoo, pied cuckoo, or pied crested cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds that is found in Africa and Asia. It is partially migratory and in India, it has been considered a harbinger of the monsoon rains due to the timing of its arrival. It has been associated with a bird in Indian mythology and poetry, known as the chatak represented as a bird with a beak on its head that waits for rains to quench its thirst.





This medium-sized, slim black and white cuckoo with a crest is distinctive. The white wing patch on the black wing and the pattern make it unmistakable even in flight. They are very vocal during the breeding season. The call is a ringing series of whistling notes "piu-piu" with the calls of the nominate form more rapid and slightly mellower.

In India the subspecies serratus (Sparrman, 1786) is a summer breeding visitor to northern India and is believed to migrate to southern Africa. This is larger and longer winged than the nominate subspecies found in the southern peninsular region and Sri Lanka is said to be a local migrant. No ringing evidence exists to support the actual migration to Africa

In Africa, subspecies serratus and pica (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) show two phases, a pied phase with white or whitish below and a black phase where the only white is on the wing patch. Mating appears to be assortative, with pied phase males pairing with pied phase females. An all-rufous color phase has been noted in Central Africa. There is lack of clarity on the migration and plumage variation involved. Subspecies pica has been said to be the form that migrates between Africa and India however Rasmussen & Anderton (2005) suggest serratus as being the valid name for the Afro-Indian migrants.

In the past some other African subspecies have been suggested such as hypopinarus from South Africa and caroli from the Gabon

The species is distributed south of the Sahara in Africa and south of the Himalayas in India. Also found in Sri Lanka and parts of Myanmar. Within Africa, there are movements of the species although they are resident in tropical Africa. The east African population is migratory and moves over southern Arabia into India during April.

The habitat of the species is mainly in thorny, dry scrub or open woodland avoiding areas of dense forest or extremely dry environments.
Merbah cerukcuk is a passerine of the Pycnonotidae. Sundanese people call it cerukcuk or jogjog, the Java people call terucuk or cerocokan, following the sound of her voice. In the language of the United Kingdom referred to the Yellow-vented Nightingale.

A medium-sized bird, total body length (measured from tip of beak to tip of tail) of approximately 20 cm.
The upper side of the body (back, tail) dark grey, brown-colored side down (the throat, chest and abdomen) white matte. The Crown is blackish, white around the eyesand eyebrows, with a bridle (the line in front of the eye). The sides of the hull with the stroke-strokes in closing the arse Brown, and yellow.
The iris of the eye is Brown, Black beak and feet pink-grey.


Merbah cerukcuk like the open places, shrubs, gardens, roadsides, and secondary forest. These birds are often grouped, either when looking for food as well asperched, with its own or with other types of merbah, or even with other species of birds. Sleep in groups by type, in the branches of an Evergreen shrub or small tree.

As generally merbah, bird food is mainly the fruit is soft. In the courtyard, this bird is often hollow papaya and banana fruit that has been cooked. He also eats insects, worms and other small animals such as worms. Merbah cerukcuk spend more time to look for food on the ground than other types of merbah.

Rang loud and noisy, cok, cok, ... COK-cok!; a short whistling cuk-lek-li-co. .. repeatedly, sometimes quickly; or weak-voiced singing similar to gumam or grunt.

Cerukcuk-shaped nest bowls of plaited grass leaves, sprigs of leaves or twigs are smooth, woven with fiber plant and stick to the branches. In Central Java also found nests are built in between the banana fruit.

The eggs of two or three rounds, colored whitish spotted brown or purple. Nestedwas recorded throughout the year, with a peak in March to June.

This bird is widespread in Southeast Asia, the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines. In Indonesia found on Sumatra and nearby islands on its East, BorneoJava and Bali.Allegedly introduced to South Sulawesi and Lombok. General there are up to an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level.

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