Even so, some regions have seen population declines. ( Learn more about how cuckoos outsource the care of their offspring.) ConservationĪccording to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, about 77 percent of cuckoo species are of Least Concern. Females of some cuckoo species have evolved a variety of egg colors to outwit hosts known to throw unfamiliar eggs out of their nests. It even gets fed more since it sounds like more chicks.Įach cuckoo species has preferences about what host species to leave its eggs with. It tricks the host parent into feeding it by sounding like an entire nest full of the host’s offspring. The cuckoo hatchling may even kick the host bird’s chicks out of the nest. These birds don’t build nests, but sneak their eggs into other birds’ nests and fly.īy pawning their eggs off on other birds, these cuckoos put no energy into brooding or parenting. National Geographic explorer Luke Powell tells you about some of the worst bird parents out there – brood parasites. Obligate brood parasites, like the European cuckoo, have lost the ability to make nests and put all their eggs in other birds’ nests. Some are non-obligate brood parasites, meaning they will put their eggs in nests of the same species or keep them in their own nests. Brood parasitismĬuckoos are well known for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, called brood parasitism. Channel-billed cuckoo females will call out to a male, who responds by bringing an insect to her.Ĭlutch sizes vary among species but the common cuckoo, for example, lays between 12 and 20 eggs a season, which hatch between 11 and 13 days. The lucky ladies of the Diederik cuckoo species get gifts of juicy caterpillars from prospective suitors. Males will spread their wings, fan their tails, and bob their heads, and females respond with a bubbling call. They only make their calls during breeding season, from April to September. Common cuckoos are ready to mate at two years old and both males and females mate with multiple partners. Reproductive behaviorĬuckoo courtship varies among species. Their calls have a lot of variation as well, but it’s the common cuckoo -found in Europe, most of Asia, and Central to southern Africa- whose call is mimicked by the whimsical German clocks named for the species. Some cuckoos eat baby birds of other species. Indian cuckoos and channel-billed cuckoos add fruit to their diet and guira cuckoos also forage for small frogs and mammals. To combat this issue, cuckoos periodically shed their stomach linings. The cuckoo’s diet varies by species but the typical menu is mostly insects, especially the spiny, hairy caterpillars that other birds find irritating to eat. These regal birds are sometimes called “flying walking sticks” due to their large, curved bills that are sometimes compared to that of a hornbill. At 10 times that size, the largest is the channel-billed cuckoo, of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Indonesia, at about two feet long and 1.3 pounds. The smallest is the little bronze cuckoo of Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and eastern Australia, just six inches long and weighing a bit over a half an ounce. They inhabit every country except Antarctica. They prefer habitats with lots of leafy trees to take cover and blend in with forests, woods, and thickets. Their appearances vary greatly from the tiny mangrove cuckoo of coastal Mexico and the Caribbean, with its blue spotted tail feathers to the safety-orange beak and punk rock crest of the guira cuckoo of central and western South America. There are 147 species in the family Cuculidae, which also includes roadrunners. Far from crazy, this species could be considered to have a touch of evil genius. Before the word “cuckoo” denoted clocks or craziness it belonged to a bird.
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