Eurasian Cuckoo

Scientific Name: Cuculus canorus
Common Name: Eurasian Cuckoo
Other Name: Common Cuckoo, Asiatic Common Cuckoo, European Cuckoo, Gray Cuckoo,

Identifying Features: short legs, greyish, slender body and long tail, barred underparts, yellow feet, male has grey body while female has reddish-brown.

Fun Facts:

  • Cuckoo adult mimics sparrowhawk, giving female time to lay eggs parasitically. More than 100 host species have been recorded.
  • The common cuckoo’s diet consists of insects, with hairy caterpillars, which are distasteful to many birds, being a specialty of preference. It also occasionally eats eggs and chicks.

 

This image was clicked by Riaz Siddiki – via Flickr.

Where have you seen this bird? Let us know in the comments below. You can also share a photo of this bird clicked by you by sending it to birdwatcher@delhigreens.org

Leave a Comment