Wander Lord

Interesting on art, nature, people, history

Interesting facts about Cuckoos

Interesting facts about Cuckoos

Interesting facts about Cuckoos

Cuckoos are named for the sounds they make. There are more than 125 different types of cuckoos throughout the world. Most of them live in forests, others live in open areas. Most cuckoos eat insects, especially caterpillars. Some of the larger species of cuckoos also feed on lizards, snakes, small mammals, and other birds.
The cuckoos vary greatly in size, with the range of body length being about 16–70 cm. Most of them are gray or brown. A few types have brightly colored feathers.
Some kinds of cuckoos do not raise their own young. They are nest-parasites and lay eggs in the nests of other kinds of birds that have similar-looking eggs. The female cuckoo may also remove any pre-existing eggs of the host species. In most cases, the host species is much smaller than the parasite and it is quite difficult to feed the voracious young cuckoo. The young cuckoo hatches quite quickly and while still blind, deaf and completely naked ejects the unhatched eggs of the host from the nest.

However, a lot of cuckoos, including the roadrunners, take care of their own eggs and young.

Interesting facts
– An adult reed warbler feeds a large cuckoo chick.
– The shining cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus) of temperate New Zealand migrates across open waters of the Pacific Ocean, to winter in tropical habitats of the Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands off New Guinea.
– The greater roadrunner commonly feeds on lizards and snakes, including poisonous rattlesnakes.
– The cuckoo clock is a symbol of Russia and Germany.
– Eurasian cuckoos are known to have laid single eggs in as many as 20 nests of other species in one season.

Host bird and young cuckoo

Host bird and young cuckoo

Interesting facts about Cuckoos

Anatoly Yaroslavtsev. Cuckoo's Nest

Anatoly Yaroslavtsev. Cuckoo’s Nest

Anna Slivonchik

Anna Slivonchik

Attractive cuckoo

Attractive cuckoo

Beautiful Cuckoo

Beautiful Cuckoo

Centropus phasianinus

Centropus phasianinus

Charming cuckoo

Charming cuckoo

Chestnut winged Cuckoo in Singapore by William Lee

Chestnut winged Cuckoo in Singapore by William Lee

Chrysococcyx maculatus

Chrysococcyx maculatus

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Crotophaga sulcirostris

Cuckoo Cascade

Cuckoo Cascade

Cuculus canorus

Cuculus canorus

Cuculus canorus

Cuculus canorus

Cute cuckoo

Cute cuckoo

Flying cuckoo

Flying cuckoo

Eudynamys scolopacea

Eudynamys scolopacea

Geococcyx californianus

Geococcyx californianus

Guira guira

Guira guira

Host bird and young cuckoo

Host bird and young cuckoo

Host bird and young cuckoo

Host bird and young cuckoo

Host bird and young cuckoo

Host bird and young cuckoo

Lovely cuckoo

Lovely cuckoo

Phaenicophaeus sumatranus

Phaenicophaeus sumatranus

Picture of cuckoo

Picture of cuckoo

Pretty cuckoo

Pretty cuckoo

The cuckoo clock in Penza

The cuckoo clock in Penza

The cuckoo praises rooster

The cuckoo praises rooster

The greater roadrunner

The greater roadrunner

Wonderful cuckoo

Wonderful cuckoo

Young cuckoo ejects the unhatched eggs

Young cuckoo ejects the unhatched eggs

Сentropus sinensis

Сentropus sinensis