Common cuckoo
E921846
The Common cuckoo is a widespread Eurasian bird species best known for its distinctive “cuckoo” call and its brood-parasitic habit of laying eggs in the nests of other bird species.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
bird species
ⓘ
brood parasite ⓘ cuckoo ⓘ |
| averageLength | about 32–34 cm ⓘ |
| binomialName | Cuculus canorus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| breedingRange |
temperate Asia
ⓘ
temperate Europe ⓘ |
| breedingSeasonStart | spring ⓘ |
| chickBehavior | ejects host eggs and chicks from nest ⓘ |
| clutchSize | one egg per host nest ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance | harbinger of spring in Europe ⓘ |
| describedBy | Carl Linnaeus ⓘ |
| diet |
caterpillars
ⓘ
hairy caterpillars avoided by many birds ⓘ insects ⓘ |
| eggMimicry | host egg color and pattern ⓘ |
| featuredIn | European folklore NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| habitat |
farmland with hedgerows
ⓘ
marshes and reedbeds ⓘ moorland ⓘ open woodland ⓘ |
| hostSpeciesCount | over 100 passerine species ⓘ |
| iucnStatus | Least Concern ⓘ |
| iucnStatusSystem | IUCN Red List NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| laysEggsInNestsOf |
dunnock
ⓘ
meadow pipit NERFINISHED ⓘ reed warbler ⓘ robin ⓘ wagtail ⓘ |
| migrationBehavior | long-distance migrant ⓘ |
| nativeRange |
Asia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Europe NERFINISHED ⓘ North Africa NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableBehavior | removal of host eggs by female ⓘ |
| onomatopoeicNameIn | English ⓘ |
| onomatopoeicNameRefersTo | male’s cuck-oo call ⓘ |
| parentTaxon |
Cuculidae
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Cuculus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| plumage |
barred white underparts
ⓘ
grey upperparts and head in typical morph ⓘ |
| reproductiveStrategy | obligate brood parasitism ⓘ |
| resembles | sparrowhawk in flight silhouette ⓘ |
| sexualDimorphism | females may show rufous (hepatic) morph ⓘ |
| taxonRank | species ⓘ |
| vocalization | two-note cuck-oo call ⓘ |
| vocalizationSex | male gives characteristic cuckoo call ⓘ |
| wingspan | about 55–60 cm ⓘ |
| winteringRange |
South Asia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
sub-Saharan Africa ⓘ |
| yearDescribed | 1758 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.