Diederik cuckoo either "cuprea" (coppery) or "capensis" (of Cape of Good Hope). The English name is an onomatopoeic rendition of its call. Diederik cuckoo The Diederik cuckoo ("Chrysococcyx caprius"), formerly dideric cuckoo or didric cuckoo, and sometimes called Diederik's cuckoo, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners and the anis. The diederik cuckoo is a smallish cuckoo at 18 to 20 cm. Adult males are glossy green above with copper-sheened areas on the back and whitish underparts. They have a broken white eye-stripe and a short, green malar stripe. All remiges have three
Diederik cuckoo and caterpillars. It is a noisy species, with the persistent and loud "deed-deed-deed-deed-er-ick" call from which it gets its name. Usually four clear, roughly identical, notes followed by a little twitter. It is a common resident breeder in Sub-Saharan Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. It has been recorded as far north as Cyprus (1982). It is a short-distance seasonal migrant, moving with the rains. It is a solitary bird, found in open woodland, savanna and riverside bushes. The genus name "Chrysococcyx" is Greek for gold cuckoo ("χρυσός", "κούκος"). The specific name "caprius" is thought to be a misprint for