Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania [United Republic of], Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Vagrant to Mali, Namibia, Somalia.
Senegal through Nigeria to southern Sudan and Ethiopia, and south through Zaire, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to southern South Africa; Bioko.
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) [XC57828]
by Jelmer Poelstra from Robert's Camp, Lake Baringo, South Africa (song)
Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) [XC263593]
by Peter Boesman from Tamboti Bush Lodge, Dinokeng Game Reserve, Pretoria, Cameroon (song)
Subspecies
Population on Bioko (Fernando Póo), off Cameroon, sometimes treated as separate subspecies magnirostris, on account of larger bill, but shows no other differences and probably does not merit recognition.