Skip to main content

Where to see

Where to see the Great Spotted Cuckoo in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Great Spotted Cuckoo at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Clamator glandarius

See where to stay
Great Spotted Cuckoo
Photo: (c) Frank Vassen, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Great Spotted Cuckoo

Hosts have recorded the Great Spotted Cuckoo at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Best hours of the day

  • The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
  • Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.

Where to base yourself

  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe

    Guided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape
  • Mpumalanga

    Mpumalanga

    Sabi Sand

    Guided drives
    Stays in Mpumalanga
    Mpumalanga
  • KwaZulu-Natal

    KwaZulu-Natal

    Hluhluwe-Imfolozi · iSimangaliso Wetland

    Stays in KwaZulu-Natal
    KwaZulu-Natal

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

Kruger

Guided drives from a lodge

A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.

Where hosts record it

KwandweSabi Sand

Species

Clamator glandarius

Records

229

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Great Spotted Cuckoo on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Great Spotted Cuckoo in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Great Spotted Cuckoo at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

Where can you see the Great Spotted Cuckoo in South Africa?

The Great Spotted Cuckoo is most recorded in Limpopo (38% of records), Mpumalanga (28% of records), North West (14% of records), based on 229 iNaturalist observations. 25 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Great Spotted Cuckoo on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Great Spotted Cuckoo?

Sightings of the Great Spotted Cuckoo peak from Nov to Mar, based on 229 iNaturalist records. You may still see it outside those months, sightings are just less frequent.

What is the Great Spotted Cuckoo?

The great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals. The genus name clamator is Latin for "shouter" from clamare, "to shout". The specific glandarius is derived from Latin glans, glandis, "acorn".

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Great Spotted Cuckoo

Every stay on the Great Spotted Cuckoo page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

See where to stay