Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sâo Tomé e Principe (B), Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania [United Republic of], Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Vagrant to Gambia, Senegal.
Sub-Saharan Africa from Gambia and southern Senegal to southern Sudan and northern Ethiopia, south to northern Angola and eastern South Africa; also Gulf of Guinea islands.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
African Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) [XC895373]
by Martin St-Michel from Mubwindi trail, Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, South Africa (song)
African Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) [XC615909]
by Nature sounds by Simply Birding from Greater Plettenberg Bay (near Plettenberg Bay), South Cape DC, Western Cape, South Africa (song)
Subspecies
Sometimes treated as polytypic, with subspecies based on length of tail and wing, with tail length shorter on Sao Tomé, Principe and Pagalu (insularum), intermediate on Bioko (intermedius), longer in most of continental Africa (cupreus) and short in southern Africa (sharpei), and on markings on undertail-coverts, but these traits overlap considerably between regions.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
cupreus (Shaw, 1792) - Senegal and Gambia to South Sudan and Ethiopia, south to Angola and eastern South Africa.
intermedius Hartlaub, 1857 - Bioko (Gulf of Guinea).
insularum Moreau & Chapin, 1951 - Săo Tomé, Príncipe, and Annobón (Gulf of Guinea).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet