Dear All.  Dark-morph coastal cuckoos are confusing and present major identification problems.

I refer to the all-dark “crested" cuckoo that appears to be present (March-September) in coastal East Africa from the Rufiji Delta in coastal Tanzania north to the Malindi area of coastal Kenya.  

QUESTION:  Is it the dark morph southern form serratus of Jacobin Cuckoo, or is it a dark morph Levaillant’s Cuckoo ?

All seem to have a small white wing patch, while white tail tips are present in some and not in others. Under tail of some may show some white.

Has anyone seen this dark morph during the period November - February ?? ( allowing for stragglers to occur in April and October).

All this beggars the question:  If all known records fall between March-September, then odds are that IT IS a dark Jacobin Cuckoo, but if there are some November-February records then odds point to a resident form of Levaillant's, which in itself would be unusual as Levaillvant's is strictly a “rains” migrant throughout, and November-February is a largely hot dry period at the coast. 

If, as most books say, it is a dark morph of Levaillant’s Cuckoo, why is this dark morph NOT seen anywhere else in East Africa or even anywhere in the rest of Africa; or is there a dark morph elsewhere ????.

Dark serratus of Jacobin Cuckoo are largely coastal in South Africa with 50% of all birds in Natal this variety. It would make sense for this form to migrate north along the eastern seaboard of Africa during the April - September period, then back to Natal.  So any November-February records become all the more important.

Thoughts and records welcomed, also any dated photographs.

Best wishes

Don Turner