Three of the Cuckoos
tagged in the UK are now in Chad. All three
birds passed through Italy
on their way south. BB one of the three cuckoos took a more easterly bearing
from the start, heading from Scotland
to southeast Germany
close to the Czech border. From there he headed south to central Italy before turning southeast again and making
landfall after his Mediterranean crossing in Egypt close to the Libyan border. This
is the furthest east any of our Cuckoos have yet been recorded.
To see more on
the BTO tagged cuckoos visit the BTO
Blog pages.
The Common
Cuckoo
The Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus – formerly European Cuckoo is a widespread summer
migrant to Europe, Asia and winters in Africa. Breeds across Eurasia, in the
non-breeding season it heads south it to sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
Adult males are
slate-grey with barred underparts. The iris, orbital ring, the base of the bill
and short legs and feet are yellow. Grey adult females have a pinkish-buff or
buff background to the barring and neck sides. Rufous phase adult females have
reddish-brown upperparts with dark grey or black bars. Common Cuckoos in their
first autumn have variable plumage. Some are have strongly-barred
chestnut-brown upperparts, while others are plain grey. Rufous-brown birds have
heavily-barred upperparts with some feathers edged with creamy-white.
Call
The male's call,
goo-ko, is usually given from an open perch. The female has a loud bubbling
call.
Food
Diet consists of
insects, especially hairy caterpillars.
Breeding
Common Cuckoos
first breed at two years old. The Common Cuckoo is a brood parasite. It lays
its eggs in the nests of other birds. At the appropriate moment, the hen cuckoo
flies down to the host's nest, pushes one egg out, lays an egg and flies off.
The whole process takes about 10 seconds. A female may visit up to 50 nests
during a breeding season. The chick hatches after 11–13 days. It methodically
evicts all host progeny from host nests. It is a much larger bird than its
hosts, and needs to monopolise the food supplied by the parents. The chick will
roll the other eggs out of the nest by pushing them with its back over the
edge.
Conservation Status – Least concern
Not threatened,
in fact it is widespread and common in Southern Africa.
In the UK
a marked decline in numbers.
Birdwatching
Cuckoos can be
seen throughout the UK, but
are especially numerous in southern and central England. Adults arrive in late
March or April and depart in July or August, with young birds leaving a month
or so later.
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to
create a custom tour for you or book on one of the following scheduled Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures:
-
Aves Eastern Cape Birding
Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari /
Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding
Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour
/ Safari / Adventure.