NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red-chested Cuckoo
Cuculus solitarius Stephens, 1815
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is a medium-sized bird found in Africa, south of the Sahara. In Afrikaans, it is known as "Piet-my-vrou", after its call.
Wikipedia contributors, Red-chested cuckoo; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:14:59.843251+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cuculus solitarius Stephens, 1815
- Name authority
- Stephens, 1815
- Common name
- Red-chested Cuckoo
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Cuculiformes
- Family
- Cuculidae
- Genus
- Cuculus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCuculiformes
- familyCuculidae
- genusCuculus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesCuculus solitarius Stephens, 1815
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cuculus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Madagascar CuckooCuculus rochii Hartlaub, 1863 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Indian CuckooCuculus micropterus Gould, 1838 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Oriental CuckooCuculus optatus Gould, 1845 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sunda CuckooCuculus lepidus S. Müller, 1845 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lesser CuckooCuculus poliocephalus Latham, 1790 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Himalayan CuckooCuculus saturatus Blyth, 1843 | CuculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554680 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:329F7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.