Black-and-white cuckoo with a spiffy crest (also known as the “Jacobin Cuckoo” for its smartly attired appearance). Some southern African birds exhibit a dark morph: all black with a white wing patch. Found in lowland and foothill open forests and plains, often in thorny growth. Song is a widely-spaced series of somewhat hoarse whistled notes. Lays its eggs in the nests of babblers, bulbuls, and shrikes.