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.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Common cuckoo canonical 1
Cuculus canorus – common cuckoo 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf bird species
brood parasite
cuckoo
averageLength about 32–34 cm
binomialName Cuculus canorus
linked to: Cuculus
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
habitat farmland with hedgerows
marshes and reedbeds
moorland
open woodland
hostSpeciesCount over 100 passerine species
iucnStatus Least Concern
iucnStatusSystem IUCN Red List
laysEggsInNestsOf dunnock
meadow pipit
linked to: Anthus chloris

reed warbler
robin
wagtail
migrationBehavior long-distance migrant
nativeRange Asia
Europe
North Africa
notableBehavior removal of host eggs by female
onomatopoeicNameIn English
onomatopoeicNameRefersTo male’s cuck-oo call
parentTaxon Cuculidae
Cuculus
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
sub-Saharan Africa
yearDescribed 1758

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Cuculidae notableSpecies Common cuckoo
Cuculus commonNameOfSpecies Cuculus canorus – common cuckoo
linked to: Common cuckoo