Cuckoo
The common cuckoo is 32–34 centimetres long from bill to tail (with a tail of 13–15 centimetres and a wingspan of 55–60 centimetres. The legs are short. It is greyish with a slender body and long tail and can be mistaken for a falcon in flight, where the wingbeats are regular. During the breeding season, common cuckoos often settle on an open perch with drooped wings and raised tail. There is a rufous colour morph, which occurs occasionally in adult females but more often in juveniles.
Family
Latin Name
Cuculus canorus
Further reading
When the bird was spotted
Date | Location | Title | Seen by | Interestingness |
---|---|---|---|---|
Germany, Marktrodach | Glosbach, heard cuckooing in the forest | Hühnerhabicht | **** | |
Germany, Dagebüll | near Gotteskoog | Hühnerhabicht | **** | |
UK, Teesside and the North York Moors | North Gare | b.m.stokesley | **** | |
Germany, Marktrodach | not seen but heard cuckoo calling in the woods | Hühnerhabicht | *** | |
Germany, not specified | Cuckoos calling in the woods; Spreetal/Lausitzer Seenplatte | Hühnerhabicht | *** | |
France, Leymen | Flying overhead | mike421 | ** | |
France, Leymen | Flying overhead | mike421 | *** | |
France, Leymen | Cuckoo calling and later flying overhead | mike421 | **** |