40 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 22 3 



Througliout its range, it is a bird of open savanna grasslands, 

 both fairly arid and moist. Its altitudinal range is from sea-level 

 up to between 7,000 and 9,000 feet (in northwestern Etliiopia). 

 The cuckoo finch has been generally regarded as scarce in most parts 

 of its range; however, it is often overlooked because of its general 

 superficial similarity to some of the yellowish finches of the genus 

 Serinus. The cuckoo finch is not scarce where it occurs in parts of 

 Kenya, Pemba, southern Sudan, and Northern Rhodesia, as sizable 

 flocks have been reported in each of these areas. 



No less than seven races have been proposed, but most of them 

 are based on seasonal plumages or on very slight characters. The 

 most recent revision is that of Chapin (1954, pp. 407-410), who 

 recognized three of these subspecies. I would go a little further and 

 recognize only two : The nominate race of southern and eastern Africa 

 from the Transvaal and Damaraland, north to Ethiopia, and west 

 to the eastern savannas of the Belgian Congo; and the race A.i. 

 hutleri^^ that occurs from southern Sudan (upper Bahr-el-Jebel) and 

 northeastern Belgian Congo (Faradje), and west to the highlands of 

 the northern part of the Cameroons (Tibati) and to Sierra Leone. 

 The race recognized by Chapin but not by me is A.i. macmillani of 

 Ethiopia. Of this form Chapin was doubtful himself, as he ^v^ote 

 that it differs very little from typical imberbis "except that the beak of 

 the males seems lighter in color, and the female may perhaps be a little 

 darker above. Wings of males measure 69-72 mm. [as against 66-73 

 mm. in imberbis]. If valid, it is supposedly restricted to Abyssinia." 



All the life history data on this species, to date, refer to the nominate 

 race. 



Breeding Season 



Although local seasonal movements, or at least seasonal absences, 

 of the birds have been recorded from Southern Rhodesia, few data 

 suggest that the cuckoo finch is actually migratory. Neuby-Varty 

 informed me that it occurs locaUy only in the summer on his ranch 

 near Marandellas. Irwin (1952, p. 114) calls it a "wet season visitor 

 to Salisbury area. ... In 1950 it was first seen on October 26 and in 

 1951 on November 5." Smithers, Irwin, and Paterson (1957, p. 152) 

 considered the cuckoo finch as apparently migratory in Mashonaland, 

 it having been recorded there from September to March and once in 

 June. Although there may be other areas where the birds are present 

 for only part of the year, the species probably breeds throughout 



« Anomnlospiza butleri Sclater and Maclrw-orth-Praed, Ibis, ser. 10, vol. 6, 1918, p. 460 (Kajo-Kaji, near 

 southern border of Sudan). 



