Cuckoo finch
Introduction: Cuckoo finches (Anomalospiza imberbis) inhabit floodplains and grassy vleis, usually solitary or in pairs with both small and large flocks common year-round. Flocks of between 300 to 500 occur occasionally in reedbeds. When disturbed this species generally head for the safety of fences or telephone wires.
Distribution: Mahango National Park and other isolated recordings in the eastern Caprivi Strip region.
Diet: Forages on the ground and on upright stems of herbs, forbs and grasses for mainly grass seeds.
Description: A small, weaver-like finch with a short, deep based, conical bill. Anomalospiza is a Latin word for 'unusual finch'. Imberbis is Latin for 'beardless', of which the context is unclear.
Breeding: Brood parasites on cisticola and prinia nest. Females lay 1 or 2 eggs from February to April, incubated for around 14 days.
Size: 13cm.
Weight: 21g.
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