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Photo: Steve Round
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Latin name: Cuculus canorus
Size: Approximately 30cm long
Distribution: Can be found throughout the UK, although in recent years
numbers have been declining
Months seen: April to September. Cuckoos spend the winter months in Africa.
Habitat: Parks, gardens and woodland.
Food: Insects.
Special features:
The cuckoo is more frequently heard than seen. Its call in April is a familiar springtime
sound.
The cuckoo is well known for it's parasitic nesting behavior. The female selects a suitable nest, usually made by a smaller bird. She removes one egg from the nest and
lays one of her own in its place.
When the cuckoo chick hatches out, it pushes out the remaining eggs or chicks from the nest, ensuring full attention from its foster parents.
The foster parents feed the cuckoo chick as if it were their own, even after the chick has grown much larger than the parent bird.
Adult cuckoos migrate to Africa in July or August, and their offspring usually
follow in September.
Hear a Cuckoo
• Click
here for the MP3 - 89 KB
• Click here
for the WAV - 239 KB
Cuckoo in Care
Book of "The Cuckoo" in the Nature Shop
UK Safari Bird Section
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