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  • Cuckoo
A swift in flight against a clear sky blue background

Discover the incredible story of bird migration

Read more here

Cuckoo

Cuckoo (grey)
Cuckoo (grey)
Cuckoo (grey male)
Cuckoo (grey male)
Cuckoo (juvenile)
Cuckoo (juvenile)
Cuckoo (grey female)
Cuckoo (grey female)
  • Scientific name: Cuculus canorus
  • Bird family: Cuckoos
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Cuckoo song

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

David Farrow, Xeno-canto

Key information

The cuckoo is a dove-sized bird with a blue-grey back, head and chest, and dark barred and white under parts. With their sleek body, long tail and pointed wings, they are not unlike kestrels or sparrowhawks.

 

Cuckoos are summer visitors and are well-known brood parasites. Instead of building their own nest, the females lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, especially meadow pipits, dunnocks and reed warblers. When a female cuckoo finds a suitable nest, and the hosts aren’t looking, she removes one of their eggs and lays her own egg in its place. Cuckoo young hatch after just 12 days, and push the hosts’ eggs or babies out of the nest, allowing it to eat all food brought by the host bird. By the time the cuckoo leaves the nest, it is far bigger than the host bird, but the adoptive parent continues to feed the young cuckoo for a further two weeks.

 

With their young being raised by another bird, adult cuckoos are free to leave the UK much earlier. Most leave during June for Africa, where they winter. The young cuckoos leave later on, once they’re fully fledged.

 

Their recent population decline makes this a Red List species in the 2021 UK Conservation Status Report. Red is the highest conservation priority, with species on this list needing urgent action. Species on this list, such as cuckoos, are globally threatened, with big declines in breeding populations and ranges.

What they eat:

Insects, especially hairy caterpillars.

Measurements:

Length:
32-34cm
Wingspan:
55-65cm
Weight:
105-130g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
15,000 pairs

Identifying features:

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season.

Cuckoo (grey)

Male cuckoo inflight
Feather colour: Black Brown Grey White
Leg colour: Yellow
Beak: Black Yellow Medium length Curved Medium thickness
Natural habitats: Woodland Farmland Heathland Upland Urban and suburban Wetland

Cuckoo (juvenile)

Cuckoo juvenile
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Orange White
Leg colour: Yellow
Beak: Black Yellow Medium length Curved Medium thickness
Natural habitats: Woodland Farmland Heathland Upland Urban and suburban Wetland

Similar birds:

Sparrowhawk

Sparrowhawks are small birds of prey, which hunt smaller birds in woodland and gardens. The males have bluish-grey backs and wings, with orangey-brown bars on their chest and tummy. Females and young sparrowhawks are brown on their backs and wings, with brown bars underneath. Their yellow legs and talons set them apart from cuckoos. 


Collared dove

Pale, almost pink grey-brown in colour, collared doves have a black neck collar, making them easy to distinguish. Their eyes are dark red, and their feet are also reddish. Their gentle cooing is a common sound, and they’ll often accumulate where seeds, grains and buds are plentiful.

Male sparrowhawk
Sparrowhawk
Collared Dove
Collared dove

Where and when to see them

Cuckoos can be seen throughout the UK, but are especially numerous in southern and central England.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Cuckoo distribution map

Adults arrive in late March or April and depart in July or August, with young birds leaving a month or so later.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Mawddach Valley - Arthog Bog
  • RSPB Cliffe Pools
  • RSPB Loch Druidibeg

Video

Watch our video of this cuckoo perching on a post for a quick feather preen.

Cuckoo video screenshot

Don't let threatened birds fade away

Will you help us to save our threatened birds? The number of birds at severe risk in the UK has nearly doubled. Our birds are struggling to find safe places to nest and enough food to feed their young. They urgently need our help. Find out about the RSPB’s work to save our threatened birds, and discover simple ways you can help them to thrive. Together, we can save our birds.

I'll help

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