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05 August 2016

Saudi Arabia’s most northerly record of Pied Cuckoo at Wadi Thee Gazelle - Taif

Whilst birding in Wadi Thee Gazelle we came across a Pied Cuckoo, a species that is only recorded in the far southwest of the Kingdom with this record many hundreds of Kilometers north of the most northerly record and much higher in altitude (1850 metres above sea level) than normal. Pied Cuckoo are thought to be passage migrants through the area, mainly in May, but breeding has occurred in the Abha area at a similar height to the Taif record. The cuckoo we saw was being mobbed by a number of birds including Spectacled Bulbuls and flew before any photos could be taken so I have shown a photo of a bird I took in summer 2014 near Sabya below.
Pied Cuckoo