Common Cuckoo

Also known as Cuculus canorus, cuckoo

species of bird

OverviewAI-generated

The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a species of bird in the family Cuculidae, order Cuculiformes, class Aves, and phylum Chordata. Described by Linnaeus in 1758, it is an accepted taxon within the genus Cuculus. The organism exhibits diurnality and is characterized by brood parasitism, carnivorous habits, and oviparity. Its primary food sources include insects, caterpillars, eggs, and chicks.

This species has a conservation status of Least Concern as assessed by the IUCN in 2024. Its range includes China, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France. Physical measurements indicate a wingspan of 58 and a mass of 117. In the wild, maximum longevity reaches 12.9 years. The average litter size is 9.2, with an egg incubation period of 12 days. The common cuckoo has received the award of Bird of the Year.

Synthesized by Vinony from 30 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, WoRMS, Encyclopedia of Life, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

common cuckoo

Species

PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderCuculiformes
FamilyCuculidae

Maximum longevity: 12.9 years (wild)

via IUCN

~35 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The cuckoo, common cuckoo, European cuckoo or Eurasian cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.

This species is a widespread summer migrant to Europe and Asia, and winters in Africa. It is a brood parasite, which means it lays eggs in the nests of other bird species, particularly of dunnocks, meadow pipits, and reed warblers. Although its eggs are larger than those of its hosts, the eggs in each type of host nest resemble the host's eggs. The adult too is a mimic, in its case of the sparrowhawk; since that species is a predator, the mimicry gives the female time to lay her eggs without being attacked.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Common Cuckoo” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.