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Cuckoo Cuculus canorus [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Cuculiformes
Family:
Cuculidae
BTO Codes:
CK, CUCKO
EURING No:
7240
Number in Britain:
14 thousand pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
RED
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
Links to: Images
Videos
Sound
Status in UK:
(A) Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies:
canorus recorded in Britain (of 4 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
33 cm
Wingspan:
58 cm
Weight:
M: 130 g F: 110 g
Scientific name from:
L.: cuculus =the cuckoo
and L.: canorus =melodius (from canere =to sing)
World Distribution:
BREEDS: Europe, Asia, n Africa, WINTERS: south to s Africa, s Asia
Habitat:
Open woodland, taiga, steppe forest
Diet:
Insects, esp. large, hairy caterpillars avoided by others and beetles
TitBit:
Females lay their eggs in the nest of the species which raised them (Dunnock, Reed Warbler and Meadow Pipit are current favoured 'hosts'). A single female may visit up to 50 nests each year
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
9600 to 19 thousand pairs
in 2000
First Record:
7th Century
Conservation Status:
RED
because
Recent Breeding Population Decline,
Previous Assessments:
2002-2007
AMBER
1996-2001
GREEN
Races of Concern:
canorus RED (Recent Decline)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Common in:
Reedbed
Also found in:
Scrub, Marsh
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
Average Day of First Arrival:
19 Apr
European Population Size:
Summer:
1.7 to 3.6 million pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
Bern(III)
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
22 x 17 mm
Egg Weight:
3.2 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
26
Clutch Size:
1 - 25 eggs
Incubation:
11- 13 days
by the:
Host
Fledging:
17 - 21days
as:
Altricial, naked
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1-25
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
62
Adult Survival:
No data
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
No data
Maximum Recorded Age:
6yr 11m
(Germany: 12yr 11m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
D
Wing Length
Adult:
218.2 ± 8.1
Range
207 - 232 mm, N =144
Juvenile:
198.8 ± 13.9
169 - 218 mm, N =105
Male:
222.3 ± 7.0
210 - 234 mm, N =85
Female:
211.9 ± 5.2
204 - 221 mm, N =52
Weight
Adult:
114.3 ± 15.69
Range
93.00 - 143.0 g , N =119
Juvenile:
92.10 ± 14.64
70.50 - 121.0 g , N =99
Male:
119.9 ± 13.82
98.00 - 143.0 g , N =68
Female:
107.2 ± 15.55 .
86.00 - 130.5 g , N =46
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Common Cuckoo
Gaelic:
Cuthag
Welsh:
Cog
Danish:
Gøg
Dutch:
Koekoek
Finnish:
Käki
French:
Coucou gris
German:
Kuckuck
Hungarian:
Kakukk
Icelandic:
Gaukur
Irish:
Cuach
Italian:
Cuculo
Norwegian:
Gjøk
Polish:
Kukulka zwyczajna
Portuguese:
Cuco-canoro
Spanish:
Cuco
Swedish:
Gök
Local Names: Gowk
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Wyllie, I. 1981 The cuckoo Batsford, London
[598.642 WYL]
Payne, R.B. 2005 The Cuckoos Oxford University Press
[598.62 PAY]
Rothschild, M. 1952 Fleas, flukes and cuckoos Collins, London
[591.1 ROT]
See Also:
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