In southern Africa, the Black Cuckoo is a migrant that breeds in summer. It is often noticed by its call because the bird itself is hard to see. It lays its eggs in nests of other birds, including boubous.
Its upperparts are black with a greenish sheen, and its tail tip is white. The underparts are usually black, but some individuals show rufous or brown barring; the pattern varies between subspecies.
It lays eggs in other birds' nests, a behavior called brood parasitism. In southern Africa, boubous of the genus Laniarius are among its main recorded hosts.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.