Jacobin Cuckoo in Finland in The latter is similar to a pied-morph Jacobin but Sep tem ber 1976: a plea for has heavy black streaking on throat and breast. reassessment Distribution and migration On 11 September 1976, Jouni Mäkipelto found a Jacobin Cuckoo is a polytypic species of tropical Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus at Lehtimäki, Africa and southern Asia with three recognized Etelä-Pohjanmaa province, Finland (62°49’06’’N, subspecies. Nominate C j jacobinus is restricted to 23°56’41’’E). The bird allowed approach to within southern India and Sri Lanka and C j serratus 15-20 m and JM obtained a series of images of the breeds in southern Africa. The long-distance mi- bird, as it flew short distances to catch invertebrate grant subspecies C j pica, which migrates between prey items. The bird was apparently continuously Asia (from north-western India east to Myanmar) on the move; during the time it was observed, it and Africa, is often treated as synonymous with C j covered over 2 km. JM wrote up the record for the serratus (cf Rasmussen & Anderton 2005). Both C j journal Lintumies (Mäkipelto 1979). The bird was jacobinus and C j serratus are supposed to be mi- deemed to be an escape upon discussion with gratory but are not suspected to follow such long members of one of the national British rarities Afro-Indian routes as C j pica (del Hoyo 1997, committees. Its vagrancy potential was perceived Dickinson 2003). The subspecies differ in size as low, despite a lack of evidence of the species’ (nominate C j jacobinus being smallest) and plum- presence in the wild bird trade at the time. age (C j serratus having two colour morphs in Furthermore, alleged exceptional plumage wear southern Africa). Judged from departure and arrival hampered to view it as a vagrant rather than an dates in the Indus valley of Pakistan and northern escape. India, the entire Asian population of C j pica is thought to migrate to Africa in the dry season – Identification from September to October, returning in May The bird in the black-and-white photographs (plate (Whistler 1928, Cramp 1985). Although there is a 413-416) is easily identified as a pied-morph detectable passage along the southern edge of the Jacobin Cuckoo by the combination of relatively Arabian Peninsula (Oman, southern Saudi Arabia large size, rather short, slightly down-curved dark and Yemen; del Hoyo et al 1997, Porter & Aspinall bill, dark iris, long and graduated tail, short but full 2010), the bulk of the population presumably un- crest, predominantly dark (black) upperparts, tail, dertakes a direct over-water crossing of the Arabian head and upperwing, mostly pale (whitish) under- Sea to and from Somalia (eg, Anderson 2009). parts (from chin to undertail-coverts) and very con- Elsewhere in the Middle East, there are two re- spicuous white primary patch. Dark-morph birds cent records from the United Arab Emirates: on 7 are common in southern Africa and are all black September 2007 and 4 January 2009 (Pederson except for the white wing-patch (cf del Hoyo et al 2010). There are also two old specimen records 1997, Payne 2005). Levaillant’s Cuckoo C levail- from Iran but apparently no confirmed 20th cen- lantii, also has a wide distribution in sub-Saharan tury records (Roselaar & Aliabadian 2009). Up to Africa and also occurs in a dark and a pied morph. 2005, there have been five records in the [Dutch Birding 33: 325-328, 2011] 325 Jacobin Cuckoo in Finland in September 1976: a plea for reassessment 413-416 Jacobin Cuckoo / Jacobijnkoekoek Clamator jacobinus, Lehtimäki, Finland, 11 September 1976 (Jouni Mäkipelto) Seychelles, in March and November-January from the less migratory African populations, al- (Skerrett et al 2006), highlighting the capacity of though there have been extralimital records of an- this species for non-stop over-water flights. In the other intra-tropical African migrant cuckoo, Didric Himalayas, vagrants have reached altitudes higher Cuckoo (Diederik Cuckoo) Chrysococcyx caprius, than 2600 m (Rasmussen & Anderton 2005). To the with vagrants recorded in Cyprus (Lobb 1983) and east, vagrants have occurred in Cambodia (Poole Israel (Shirihai 1996). The distances involved in the & Evans 2004) and Thailand, where there have regular migration between Asia and Africa suggest been 15 records involving 19 individuals and the that it is a candidate for long-range vagrancy. For species may even be in the process of colonising instance, if Myanmar breeders do winter in Africa the country (Phil Round in litt). More impressively, – as is currently considered the case – then they vagrants have reached the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, must travel a rhumb-line distance of over 5000 km where one was videoed on Iriomote-shima on to the nearest suitable wintering grounds in the 1 June 1997 (Kamata 1997), and the Philippines, Horn of Africa. If breeders in north-western India where one was recorded at Visita, Dalupiri, on 21 were to make a 45° navigatory error then it is less May 2004 (Allen et al 2006). than 5000 km to central Finland. Jacobin Cuckoo is one of a suite of large insec- Vagrancy potential tivorous migrants that are known to take a direct Vagrancy to Europe from the Asian breeding popu- route across the Arabian Sea to African wintering lations of C j pica would seem more likely than grounds; Anderson (2009) listed, for instance, 326 Jacobin Cuckoo in Finland in September 1976: a plea for reassessment FIGURE 1 Global distribution of Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus; pale green represents resident/migratory African populations, pale yellow resident/migratory Indian population (after del Hoyo et al 1997); red stars indicate passage and vagrant records and blue star indicates location of record in Finland in September 1976 Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni, Amur Falcon a September occurrence ties in with passage of F amurensis, Eurasian Hobby F subbuteo, Lesser birds from north-western India to Africa. Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus, Eurasian Cuckoo C canorus, Eurasian Nightjar Caprimulgus euro- Discussion paeus, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus So what about the circumstances surrounding the and European Roller Coracias garrulus. Anderson Finnish record? Assessing the degree of feather (2009) also observed that ‘many of the birds ap- wear is difficult from the existing photographs. In pear to make landfall not in northern Somalia, the some images, both the tail and primaries appear nearest point to India, but further south in southern quite worn or damaged. Could this be natural Somalia, Kenya or even Tanzania, an over-water wear? JM reported that the weather on the day of distance of about 3500-4000 km’. As many of the sighting was ‘misty’ and that the bird landed these species are already represented in Europe as several times in wet grass whilst chasing inverte- part of their regular breeding distribution, detec- brate prey. Moreover, the flight shots and images tion of vagrant Afro-Indian individuals would be of the bird perched in a tree indicate that the impossible without an individual tag. However, of ‘damage’ may be a foreshortening photographic the species that do not breed in Europe, Amur effect precipitated by the white tail tips being Falcon has been recorded several times in Europe ‘burnt out’ in the image and the apparent ‘wear’ (eg, Corso & Dennis 1998, Mansell 2008) and probably accentuated by the bird’s naturally gradu- furthermore, considering its life history charac- ated tail being damp. teristics, perhaps Lesser Cuckoo should also be Regarding the species’ status in captivity, Roger considered a potential future European vagrant. Wilkinson (in litt) ‘could not recollect seeing any Careful examination of its life history character- in captivity’ and Malcolm Ellis (in litt) ‘had never istics indicates that Jacobin Cuckoo is a strong seen this migratory cuckoo in captivity, either in candidate for natural vagrancy to Europe and that Africa or at London Zoo or elsewhere during the 327 Jacobin Cuckoo in Finland in September 1976: a plea for reassessment past 50 years or so’ and ‘was very surprised there- Palearctic 4. Oxford. fore to see a colour photo of one in Cage & Aviary Dickinson, E C (editor) 2003. The Howard and Moore Birds c 20 years ago’, suggesting that ‘one or two complete checklist of the birds of the world. Third edi- may have been imported in the past, but probably tion. London. Gilroy, J G & Lees, A C 2003. Vagrancy theories: are no more than that’. Kelly Edmunds (in litt), who autumn vagrants really reverse migrants? Br Birds 96: has recently spent two years visiting bird markets 427-438. in Asia, has not encountered this (or any other spe- Harrop, A J 2007. Eastern promise: the arrival of far-east- cies of insectivorous cuckoo) in the live wild bird ern passerine vagrants in autumn. Br Birds 100: 105- trade. 111. Given the species’ rarity in captivity and high del Hoyo, J, Elliott, A & Sargatal, J (editors) 1997. Hand- vagrancy potential, it is a candidate for acceptance book of the birds of the world 4. Barcelona. into ‘Category A’ of the Finnish and European list Kamata, A 1997. Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus. and we strongly promote a re-opening of this case Website: www1.accsnet.ne.jp/~ikecho/OKINAWA/ gallery/gallery.html. [Accessed 13 July 2010.] by the Finnish rarities committee. The fate of the Lobb, M G 1983. Didric Cuckoo in Cyprus. Bull Br Finnish Jacobin Cuckoo illustrates a tendency to Ornithol Club 103: 111. treat such ‘one-off records’ as more likely ‘excep- Mäkipelto, J 1979. [Kirkojäki Clamator jacobinus*] tional escapes’ than ‘exceptional vagrants’ (see Lehti mäellä. Lintumies 14: 184-185. discussion in Parkin & Knox 1994), despite the po- Mansell, D 2008.