Cuckoo (50 photos): description of the bird, habitat and what it eats

Appearance

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Appearance of a cuckoo

The cuckoo has a long, thin body, narrow wings pointed at the end, and a long tail, beveled along the edge in the shape of a wedge. The legs are short, poorly developed, and unsuitable for walking on the ground. The structure of the paws is zygodactyl - two claws look forward, and the other two are turned back. The beak is short, curved downwards.

Sexual dimorphism is expressed in size (males are larger than females) and plumage. Adult males have a gray head, shoulders, and back. The throat and upper chest are ashen. The belly and chest are cream with wide black transverse stripes. The tail feathers are dark gray with white spots and edges.

Photo of a cuckoo on a tree

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The color of females does not always match the plumage of the male. In some species there is a so-called morph, when the back and breast are colored ocher, diluted with black stripes (common, deaf and small cuckoos). There are species that have a solid black chest (a type of black cuckoo).

Why was it called cuckoo?

Cuckoo on a branch
The cuckoo was named so because of the characteristics of its songs. The sonorous “peek-a-boo” cannot be confused with any other bird. Many peoples have similar names for this bird: in Bulgaria it is called “kukovitsa”, in the Czech Republic – “kukacha”, in Germany – “kukuch”, in France – “kukuo”, in Romania – “kukul”, in Italy – “cuculo” . The Latin name Cuculus comes from the word "canere", which means "to sing"

What does it eat?

In the photo, a cuckoo eats larvae.
Cuckoos consume food of animal origin. Small arboreal and flying insects and spiders are used as food. Favorite food of cuckoos: grasshoppers, slugs, mosquitoes, flies, worms, caterpillars, butterflies. Cuckoos living on the plains add fruits and berries to their menu.

The cuckoo is one of the few birds that happily eats furry caterpillars. Their poison contained in the intestines is destructive to most birds. Before eating an insect, the cuckoo prudently pushes the poisonous intestine out with its tongue. Cuckoos are not averse to tasting newborn lizards and bird eggs. Birds grab food on the fly, without falling to the ground.

Cuckoo eats on the fly

Cuckoos are voracious birds. In an hour, one adult bird can eat up to 100 caterpillars. By autumn, birds eat even more. This is how they accumulate subcutaneous fat, which is necessary for long flights.

Scientists consider the cuckoo to be the forest orderly. If there are pests in its habitat, the bird will not stop until it catches them all.

Spreading

The cuckoo scares other birds.
The distribution range of cuckoos is extensive. There are more than 150 species of birds in the world, living in Eurasia, Africa, Indonesia, and Asia. Cuckoos are found in America and the Pacific Islands. The only exception is the Arctic latitudes. The cuckoo is an unpretentious bird. It takes root in the tropics, temperate latitudes and even the tundra. Common cuckoos live in Europe and Russia, India, China and Japan. In winter they nest in Africa, southern India and southern China.

Habitats, lifestyle

This cuckoo nests in lands from England to Japan and Kamchatka, occupying almost the entire Russian territory from west to east. In the north, in the European part of the country, the distribution area of ​​this bird reaches the Arctic Circle and even a little further. As for the southern part, in this region the cuckoos “crossed” the state border, reaching Asia Minor and North Africa.

The bird lives in both tundra and semi-deserts, choosing shrubs, forests and mountain dwarf trees. Feeds on a wide variety of insects (helps in killing many hairy caterpillars that other birds do not normally feed on). You can find out what the cuckoo chick eats below.

Lifestyle

A cuckoo flies in the sky
Many species of cuckoos are migratory birds. Crested representatives of the genus, living in Europe and southern Africa, migrate to North Africa for the winter. Thick-billed cuckoos, which live in southern Africa and Madagascar, fly to the eastern part for the winter.

The most studied way of life of the common cuckoo. The bird hides in thickets of dense forests most of the year. It does not show itself to humans or animals. At this time he practically does not sing. Cuckoos lead a secretive lifestyle. They never gather in flocks, forming pairs for one season. During the breeding season they become more sociable. The males sing their perky songs, and the females begin to search for territories for breeding. Mating games consist of exhibition performances and fierce fights for females. Males spread their tails and invite partners. In gratitude for the fact that the female chose him, the male brings her a twig or leaf as a gift.

cuckoo's nest

Cuckoo birds do not build nests and do not raise offspring. These birds are complete parasites that get rid of their eggs and maintain the population at the expense of other species of birds. Cuckoos do not have a developed maternal instinct, so they try with all their might to free themselves from the shackles of motherhood by throwing eggs to other birds. This way they free up time for themselves to search for food and rest.

The lifespan of cuckoos is 9-11 years. Most birds die at a young age due to predators that destroy bird nests.

There is no nesting breeding area. Only areas where the female replaces eggs are divided geographically. In one area there are 2-3 females at once. Two or three cuckoos can throw their eggs into one nest at once.

Two cuckoos sitting on a pine tree

Cuckoos are polygamous birds. They pair only to fertilize eggs. A male mates with 5-10 females per day. Females wait for males in “their” territory. Partners visit the spouse and then leave her habitat in search of another partner.

Photo of cuckoo eggs

In one clutch, the female brings up to 15 eggs. She will carry them all to nearby nests. At the same time, the mother cuckoo still takes care of her future cubs - before laying an egg, she throws the host’s eggs out of the nest. Foster parents hatch and raise not their own chicks, but cuckoo chicks. It happens that a cuckoo leaves foreign eggs in the nest, but these chicks have practically no chance of survival, because the cuckoo chicks will take all the food and they will die of starvation.

Why does the cuckoo lay eggs?

Photo of a thrown cuckoo egg
This way of life has developed in the cuckoo due to the biological characteristics of the bird’s body. The cuckoo lays eggs at intervals of 3-5 days. During the summer season, she brings more than a dozen eggs, while most bird species have only 2-4 eggs in their clutch. The chicks hatch in accordance with the laying order. If the cuckoo hatched its offspring on its own, it would have to stay in the nest for two months. In addition, she is not able to feed such a number of chicks, even if a male would help her. Therefore, evolution has led to the fact that the cuckoo has no choice but to raise its young with the help of other birds.

Finding a nest and throwing eggs

The cuckoo carefully selects parents for its offspring. Most often, she returns with her native biotype and throws eggs to the species of birds that she herself fed. The female cuckoo watches the birds and settles down next to the pairs busy building a nest. As soon as the bird determines the laying site, its body starts the mechanism of egg formation. The egg spends a large amount of time in the bird's body. Internal incubation lasts longer than in other birds. Therefore, cuckoo embryos are almost fully formed at the time of laying.

Another thrown egg

The cuckoo lays eggs directly into someone else's nest. To do this, she waits for the owner to fly away, then lays the eggs within 15 seconds. The male helps the female drive the hosts away from the nest. He circles around the nest, pretending to be a hawk. Other birds, afraid of being caught, fly away. Seizing the moment, the female cuckoo rushes to someone else's home. The host egg is eaten or thrown away. It happens that the cuckoo is late with the laying dates, that is, at the time of laying, the host chicks are already ready to hatch. Then the cuckoo destroys the brood, provoking the parents for a new fertilization.

Photo of cuckoo chicks

Chicks are born earlier than others, newborns are much more developed than their half-brothers and sisters. Cuckoo whales are very voracious. They constantly demand food, food for the entire area. Cuckoo chicks do not like competition and usually throw their adoptive parents out of the nest. The instinct to get rid of strangers fades away by the fourth day of life. Cuckoo chicks are born naked, with reddish, wrinkled skin. By three weeks of life, they fledge and stand on their wings. But they continue to feed at the expense of their foster parents for another month.

Not all cuckoos engage in parasitism. Species living in tropical Africa do not throw eggs, but build one common nest and lay eggs in it. Mature birds are engaged in raising offspring.

Reproduction and raising of offspring

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Birds fly to their nesting site in the spring, when their wintering on the African continent ends. During the mating season, cuckoos can not only pair up, but also gather in small groups. Birds choose areas for settlement in places where other species of birds actively nest.

Females do not build nests, as is the case with other birds. Their task is to study the territory and observe the behavior of the “neighbors”. Adult males, as a rule, fertilize several females at once during the season.

Over time, evolution has helped cuckoos adapt to resemble a particular species of bird in appearance. This was necessary so that the eggs that ended up in other people’s nests would be similar to the offspring of these birds, so that the “foster parents” would not suspect anything.

Females thoughtfully watch the birds in the area, studying the behavior of their “neighbors.” This helps them quickly work at a convenient moment to lay their eggs and get rid of the eggs of their real parents. When other birds return back to the nest, they do not see the replacement and continue to incubate the chicks, which hatch before their own children.

Different species of cuckoos lay different numbers of eggs. Thus, the common cuckoo can produce no more than one egg, and the crested cuckoo can produce from 2 to 4 eggs.

Regardless of the number of alien chicks hatching in the nest, newborns try to get rid of other eggs and chicks. Since cuckoo chicks are born earlier, they grow stronger and gain strength faster, due to which they can easily eliminate competitors. Thanks to this, the chicks remain the only contenders for food obtained by the “foster parents”.

Chicks can grow much larger than their “foster parents”

Cuckoo chicks grow quite quickly, and for this they require a large amount of food. Already in the third week of life, the babies grow so much that they can leave the nest on their own. Despite this, their “parents” continue to feed the chick for a month, which is capable of flying and getting food on its own.

Question to the expert

Who does the cuckoo throw eggs to?

In central Russia, cuckoos can throw eggs to various families of birds. Among them one can distinguish sparrows, nightingales, swifts, and kinglets. In Europe, nest parasitism usually affects wagtails, shrikes, warblers, and redstarts. This easy substitution is explained by the fact that birds usually have little knowledge of what their eggs look like, which is why they do not see the difference. In addition, evolutionarily, cuckoos have adapted to ensure that their eggs outwardly coincide as closely as possible with those laid by birds of certain varieties. The birds themselves can even hatch objects whose shape is similar to an egg. kinglets, nightingales, swifts, sparrows and many others.

Eggs

Cuckoo eggs in the nest
The incubation period lasts 12 days. Cuckoo eggs look larger than the eggs of parent birds. The color of the shell is varied. Some eggs are white with brown specks, some are bluish-green, dirty yellow, dark brown.

Some species of cuckoos lay eggs similar in size and color to the eggs of parent birds. Cuckoos that parasitize the nests of sparrows, wagtails or warblers lay small, light brown eggs. Cuckoos, which prefer the nests of crows and magpies, lay larger eggs. Cuckoo eggs can be found in the nests of passerine birds, as well as birds belonging to the hawk-like family. Most often, the cuckoo parasitizes the nests of redstarts, warblers, tiny kinglets, wrens, nightingales, swifts, sparrows, etc. The number of parent species reaches 300. Many cuckoos parasitize one species of bird. Some species lay chaotically, without understanding which species of bird this or that nest belongs to.

Peculiarities

Cuckoo eggs vary among all species because the females belong to different ancestral lines. Each of them is associated with a specific species of host bird, so the eggs are laid in a corresponding color. There is another interesting point. A slightly grown cuckoo chick pushes other chicks out of the nest, whose parents continue to feed the foundling.

Depending on the region of habitat, the host birds of cuckoos may be different. In the European part these are primarily redstarts, wagtails, warblers and shrikes. Their breeding season is from May to July.

Kinds

Cuckoos (Cuculus) are the largest genus of birds in the cuckoo family. It has 15 species.

Great Hawk Cuckoo

Great Hawk Cuckoo on a tree

• Latin name: Cuculus (Hierococcyx) sparverioides
• Weight: 150 g
• Conservation status: Least Concern

The hawk cuckoo is a large bird with an elongated dense body, a long truncated tail, wide wings and a strong long beak. The hawk cuckoo weighs 150 grams, body length is 30-37 centimeters. The color of the bird is variegated: the back and wings are red-brown with numerous light inclusions. The neck is beige, the head is brown. The chest and belly are white with dark and brown spots. The base of the beak is dark green, the beak itself is black. The tail is dark brown with light transverse stripes.

Great hawk cuckoo sitting on a rope

The great hawk-cuckoo lives in Indonesia and Asia Minor. Inhabits dense forests and shrub groves. Lives high in the mountains at an altitude of up to 3 thousand meters above sea level. Hawk cuckoos are noisy and fussy birds. They scream constantly, especially after sunset. Cuckoos lay their eggs on 36 species of birds.

Indian hawk-cuckoo

Indian Hawk Cuckoo resting on a branch
Latin name: Cuculus (Hierococcyx) varius

Weight: 140-160 g

Conservation status: Least Concern

The bird is medium in size, body length up to 39 centimeters, weight – 160 grams. Leads a sedentary life in Asia Minor and India. The Indian hawk-cuckoo lives in trees and rarely descends to the ground. Prefers gardens, groves, and deciduous forests for nesting.

In flight, the cuckoo alternates flapping its wings with soaring, which makes it similar to young hawks, which is why this species was called “hawklike”. The Indian cuckoo has a large, densely feathered head. The dark brown feathers are more like down in structure; they stick out in different directions.

The upper part of the body is ash-gray, the belly and chest are pale brown with brown spots. The tail is dark gray with darker stripes. The female and male are colored the same. Sexual dimorphism is manifested in size: the male is larger than the female. The Indian hawk-cuckoo, like other species, is a brood parasite. She lays eggs in thymelia nests.

Oviposition

The egg of the female cuckoo begins to form after she discovers the nest being built by the intended caregivers. After about a week, the egg is ready for laying and the female throws it at a predetermined place. Usually by this moment there is already a nest of educators there. The female grabs one of the eggs with her beak, sits in the nest and quickly lays her own. If for some reason the pre-selected nest is destroyed, the cuckoo lays an egg in another one or on the ground. The finished egg can linger in the oviduct for 1-3 days.

Photo of cuckoo egg

bearded cuckoo

Bearded cuckoo in the forest

• Latin name: Cuculus (Hierococcyx) vagans
• Weight: 140 g
• Conservation status: Rare species

A small agile bird, no larger than a pigeon. Body length is about 32 centimeters, weight is 140 grams. Breeds mainly in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar and southern Thailand. Lives in the subtropics and tropics, in dense forests. Leads a sedentary lifestyle. Due to the cultivation of wild areas, the number of bearded cuckoos has decreased.

The bearded cuckoo is up to something

The back, nape, tail and wings are painted brown, which is diluted with creamy strokes. There is a thick “beard” of white feathers on the throat. The chest and belly are white with symmetrical black vertical stripes. Legs and eyes are yellow. The beak is black.

Photo of a bearded cuckoo

The bearded cuckoo breeds in the summer. The female lays one bluish egg in the nests of other birds. The cuckoo throws other eggs out of the nest, remaining alone with its foster parents, who feed it for a month. Then the grown chick leaves the monastery.

Broad-winged cuckoo

Broad-winged cuckoo takes a closer look

• Latin name: Cuculus fugax
• Weight: 130 g
• Conservation status: Least Concern

A small bird with a shallow head, a long forked tail and wide, shortened wings. Body weight does not exceed 130 grams, body length is 30 centimeters. Its behavior in the air is similar to that of a hawk. Color: the back, wings and tail are painted graphite, the belly, chest and throat are cream with long longitudinal dark gray stripes-curves. The edge of the tail is red.

The broad-winged cuckoo turned around

This type of cuckoo is divided into three subspecies:

1. C. fugax - lives in southern Burma, Thailand, Singapore, Borneo, western Java;
2. C. hyperythrus - breeds in China, Korea, Russia (Far East) and Japan. Groups living in the north winter in Borneo. In Russia they live in mountain taiga forests.
3. C. nisicolor - distributed in northeastern India, Burma, southern China.

The broad-winged cuckoo screams loudly, but it is difficult to see it, as it hides in windfalls or impenetrable thickets. For ornithologists, this is one of the least studied species of birds in the cuckoo family.

Dimensions

OWL

Who is the cuckoo afraid of?

Cuckoo in spring
Adult birds are rarely caught by animals and birds of prey due to their agile, fast flight. The external resemblance to sparrowhawks helps to avoid a fatal fate. Small birds and pigeons, seeing a cuckoo in the distance, mistaking it for a predator, scatter in different directions.

The cuckoo's archenemy is the oriole

Cuckoos become victims of orioles, shrikes, warblers, and gray flycatchers. Most often, the cuckoo suffers from these birds when it tries to throw its egg into their nest. Young chicks who are still learning to fly are in mortal danger. The young are hunted by falcons, hawks and kites. Crows and jays destroy nests and destroy eggs and chicks. According to ornithologists, only every fifth cuckoo chick survives to adulthood.

Dangerous marten

Don't mind trying the meat of cuckoo fox, marten, weasel and cat. But animals rarely come across such a delicacy as cuckoo, since the cuckoo tries not to fall to the ground.

Natural enemies

The nimble, swift and secretive cuckoos have very few enemies. Sometimes they may be attacked by other birds in order to defend the territory. But the greatest danger is posed by foxes, cats, weasels and martens.

Photo: rasfokus.ru

Waxwing (60 photos): description of the bird, where it lives and what it eats

Chicks at home

The cuckoo chick fell out of the nest.
Grown cuckoo chicks show interest in the world around them and often fall out of the nest. the lost chicks become prey for mammals, since the adoptive parents do not rush to help.

A selected cuckoo can be raised at home. It is known that

Cuckoos are insectivorous birds. They need to be fed animal food. IN

In the wild, the main diet consists of caterpillars. The young eat a lot and often. IN

per day it eats up to 50 caterpillars. And he asks to eat every half hour. In captivity they cuckoo

fed with mealworms, which are sold in pet stores. If there is no usual

for birds food, then give minced meat mixed with a raw egg, liquid food for

dogs and cats. canned food

The chicks do not care who is their breadwinner. they open their mouths with pleasure as soon as a person approaches.

By the month of life, the chick will learn to get food on its own. As soon as he gets on the wing,

he should be released. As a rule, cuckoos cannot be tamed.

Having matured, the bird will immediately fly away to freedom.

Interesting Facts

Cuckoo among flowers

1. Scorpion venom is harmless to cuckoos
2. During the migration period, the cuckoo travels 3.5 thousand kilometers without rest.
3. One of the symbols of Russia is the cuckoo clock.
4. In Scotland, April Fools' Day (April 1st) is also called Cuckoo Day.
5. In Japan, the cuckoo symbolizes misfortune. Her piercing cry foreshadows fire, famine and death.
6. In Russia there is a belief: the number of times a cuckoo crows, the number of years it has left to live.
7. Grief mothers are compared to a cuckoo: a woman abandoned her child - she did the same thing as a bird.

Signs about cuckoos

Cuckoo on an old tree
In Russia, the cuckoo personified the feminine principle. According to one legend, a bird turned into a cuckoo for a woman whose family life did not work out.

Many signs are associated with the behavior and vocalizations of birds. Most of them have a negative connotation.

• a bird appears to a person - expect trouble;
• If a cuckoo sat on the roof of a house and started screaming desperately, someone will soon die in this house. Death was foreshadowed by a cuckoo flying overhead;
• hearing a cuckoo in the fall is unlucky;
• It is a bad omen if a person hears a cuckoo after Peter’s Day (July 12). To prevent anything from happening to a person, it was necessary to shout “kuckoo” in response. If the bird is silent, nothing bad will happen;
• if birds appeared in the barnyard, this foreshadowed the death of domestic animals;
• to see a dead cuckoo means that a person will be spared troubles and misfortunes.
• if a bird flies over a village, then this behavior indicates an impending thunderstorm;
• a cuckoo flew into the house - means that serious trouble awaits one of the household members;
• seeing a cuckoo hit a window and break is a bad sign, promising a catastrophe in which many people will die.

Positive signs:

• if a person hears for the first time in a year, then you need to make a wish and it will definitely come true;
• If you shake your wallet while the cuckoo is singing, the money will not be transferred for at least another year;
• Determine the weather by the cry of the cuckoo. Most often, birds poop in good, clear weather;
• the more the cuckoo sings, the faster spring will come;
• If the cuckoo screams shrilly, it means it will rain soon.

There are many proverbs and sayings about cuckoos. one of “The night cuckoo will snack during the day.” The meaning of the saying is this: the night cuckoo symbolizes a wise wife, the daytime cuckoo symbolizes the mother-in-law, who creates obstacles in relation to her daughter-in-law. It is known that in nature, cuckoo birds hardly speak; their voice at this time of day is quiet and hoarse. During the day, these birds do not shut up. Judging by the saying, a smart wife has much more influence on her husband than a quarrelsome mother (friends, work colleagues, boss). A wise woman calmly and judiciously explains to her husband how to do the right thing. They say: the wife will get bored.