CreatureData

Cuckoo-finch

Anomalospiza imberbis (Cabanis, 1868)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The cuckoo-finch (Anomalospiza imberbis) is a species in the family Viduidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 17.4 g to 21.4 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Cuckoo-finch (Anomalospiza imberbis)
Photo: terathopius · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the cuckoo-finch

Weight
17.4 g – 21.4 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cuckoo-finch live?

Not recorded

What is the cuckoo-finch?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The cuckoo-finch (Anomalospiza imberbis), also known as the parasitic weaver or cuckoo weaver, is a small passerine bird now placed in the family Viduidae with the indigobirds and whydahs. It occurs in grassland in Africa south of the Sahara. The male is mainly yellow and green while the female is buff with dark streaks. They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.

From the Wikipedia article “Cuckoo-finch” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cuckoo-finch&oldid=1379257754), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the cuckoo-finch endangered?

The cuckoo-finch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the cuckoo-finch classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyViduidae
  6. genusAnomalospiza
  7. SpeciesAnomalospiza imberbis (Cabanis, 1868)

Synonyms Anomalospiza butleri, Anomalospiza imberbis makandakunae, Anomalospiza imberbis nyasae, Anomalospiza imberbis rendalli, Anomalospiza imberbis tibatiensis, Anomalospiza macmillani, Crithagra imberbis, Crithagra rendalli, Heliospiza noomeae

Other names and names in other languages (40)
  • Cuckoo finchEnglish
  • Cuckoo weaverEnglish
  • CUFIEnglish
  • Parasitic weaverEnglish
  • PAWEEnglish
  • KoekoekvinkAfrikaans
  • نساج طفيليArabic
  • نساج الوقواقArabic
  • vídua cucutCatalan
  • přádelník kukaččíCzech
  • GøgevæverDanish
  • KuckuckswitweGerman
  • KuckucksweberGerman
  • kukoleca viduoEsperanto
  • Viuda anómalaSpanish
  • loiskutojaFinnish
  • kutojaleskiFinnish
  • Tisserin coucouFrench
  • Anomalospize parasiteFrench
  • žuta udovičicaCroatian
  • kakukk-szövőmadárHungarian
  • Tessitore parassitaItalian
  • カッコウハタオリJapanese
  • gegutinis audėjasLithuanian
  • KoekoeksweverDutch
  • gjøkveverNorwegian
  • kukulnikPolish
  • viúva-tecelãoPortuguese
  • tecelão-parasitaPortuguese
  • viúva-parasitaPortuguese
  • Кукушковый ткачRussian
  • Кукушковый ложноткачRussian
  • kukučiarka žltáSlovak
  • Kukavičja tkaljaSerbian
  • gökänkaSwedish
  • GökvävareSwedish
  • Guguk DokumacısıTurkish
  • зозульчакUkrainian
  • 寄生織布鳥Chinese
  • 寄生维达雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cuckoo-finch

Other species in the same family Viduidae.

CompareCuckoo-finch vs Pin-tailed whydahCuckoo-finch vs Long-tailed paradise whydahCuckoo-finch vs Village indigobirdCuckoo-finch vs Shaft-tailed whydah

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cuckoo-finch?

An adult cuckoo-finch weighs 17.4 g – 21.4 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cuckoo-finch endangered?

The cuckoo-finch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the cuckoo-finch?

The cuckoo-finch (Anomalospiza imberbis) belongs to the family Viduidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cuckoo-finch (Anomalospiza imberbis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cuckoo-finch

MLA

“Cuckoo-finch (Anomalospiza imberbis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cuckoo-finch.

BibTeX
@misc{cuckoo_finch_2026,
  title = {Cuckoo-finch (Anomalospiza imberbis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cuckoo-finch},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}