An update on the
2 BTO Satellite - tagged cuckoos who have returned from Africa
– Chris and Lyster.
Chris arrived
back in the Brecks, and has spent most of his time focusing on small pockets of
woodland near Mildenhall, Suffolk.
He was originally tagged on the edge of forest close to Santon Downham,
Suffolk, and it seems that he is very much a forest Cuckoo, presumably looking
for females that target birds like Pipits and Dunnocks.
Lyster arrived in
the Norfolk Broads and has roamed over a large area. Early last week he seemed
to settle close to Malthouse Broad, northeast of South
Walsham. This week he has moved and is now close to London and Chedgrave. He
is very active, flying around and 'cuckooing', presumably in search of a
female. As a Broads Cuckoo, we assume that Lyster is a “Reed Warbler” Cuckoo
and that he is looking for females that target Reed Warblers.
Please help - BTO urgently need new sponsors to help us
fund this work on Scottish birds and to enable us to start on some Welsh birds
too.
TheCommon Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus
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.