Cuckoos
Common Cuckoo
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Cuculus canorus
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Voice
Song
Benoît Van Hecke
Song
Isabel R.
Song
Jochem verweij
How to recognize it
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Jackdaw-sized, slim build, long tail
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Grey upperparts; white underparts with dark barring
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Short legs, pointed wings; hawk-like shape in flight
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Loud repeated ‘cu-coo…cu-coo…’, often from an open perch
About the species
The Common Cuckoo leaves a strong impression even before you hear it. In flight it can look hawk-like and slim, with a long tail, and when it pauses on a branch it often sits stretched out, wings dropped and tail slightly lifted.
For most of the year it stays quiet and hard to notice, but in spring the male becomes impossible to miss, repeating its steady, familiar call for long stretches. The female also calls, with a louder bubbling sound that is heard less often.
It is tied to woods, light groves, scrub, and other places with trees or at least scattered bushes. Its food is mostly insects, especially hairy caterpillars, and it leaves for Africa and tropical Asia for the winter.
Where to find
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In open, older parks and tree lines, listen high in the canopy for the steady “cuckoo” call, and look for a slim grey shape perched with drooped wings and a raised tail.
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Along canal banks, pond edges, and reed-fringed shores, scan the tops of shrubs and reeds where the male calls and the female watches for nesting small passerines.
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At the edges of big green spaces with scattered trees, catch it in flight — long tail, quick wingbeats, and a hawk-like silhouette.
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Near open lawns and rough meadow patches in late spring and summer, watch for short hops between perches as it gives a sharp, ringing call from an exposed branch.
Sources
- eBird — Cuculus canorus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Common cuckoo Encyclopedia article