Common in suitable habitat throughout sub-Saharan Africa, this brood parasitic species is confined to Zimbabwe, northern South Africa and the north-eastern region of Namibia; it is rarely seen on the Okavango River. It appears to be irruptive, appearing in some areas in large locks after rains, where its favoured habitat is open grassland and well-vegetated wetlands. In Namibia, it has only been recorded in December, March, May and September, and occupies an area of 1,700 km2, none of which occurs in protected areas. However, birds have also been recorded in the Mahango area of the Bwabwata National Park and appear in the Omurambas in wet years. It parasitises cisticolas and prinias, and lays its eggs between September and April. It is not a conservation priority in Namibia.