This large coucal lives in southern African grasslands and around wetlands. Adult males and females look similar, but females are larger. Its glossy black head, chestnut back and wings, and pale belly stand out as it searches for small animals in thickets and reedbeds.
Adult males and females have similar plumage, but females are larger and have a heavier bill. Adults have a glossy black head, chestnut back and wings, pale underparts, and fine barring on the rump and tail coverts.
It uses dense thickets, reedbeds, and wetland edges, searching among vegetation and on the ground for insects and small animals.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.