The common cuckoo, a slender grey bird that looks like a sparrowhawk in flight. It summers in Europe and Asia and winters in Africa. It is a brood parasite: the female lays her eggs in other birds’ nests, each matching the host’s eggs.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inEurope, Asia, Africa
ColoursGrey, Brown, White
SizeSmall
Length32–34 cm
WeightMales about 130 g, females about 110 g
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives alone
Lives for4–6 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Breeds across Europe and Asia; winters in Africa and South Asia.
- What it eats
- Insects, especially hairy caterpillars that many birds avoid.
- Conservation
- Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Lays its egg in another bird's nest, and the chick pushes the others out.
A female may visit up to 50 nests in one breeding season.
Most of the 150 species in the cuckoo family raise their own young.
Often confused with
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