Common Cuckoo
Scientific Name: Cuculus canorusMaltese Name: Daqquqa Kahla
Family: Cuckoos (Cuculidae)
Occurence: Regular
Breeds in Malta: Yes, Rare Breeder
Overview:
The Common Cuckoo is a dove-sized bird. It is greyish with a slender body and long tail and could be mistaken as a falcon in flight. There is also a rufous colour phase which occurs occasionally in adult females. The cuckoo family gets its common name and genus name by onomatopoeia for the call of the male Common Cuckoo; goo-ko. Its food is insects, with hairy caterpillars, which are distasteful to many birds, being a speciality. It is a brood parasite, which lays its eggs in the nests of other bird species, particularly of Dunnocks, Meadow Pipits, and Eurasian Reed Warblers. At the appropriate moment, the hen cuckoo flies down to the Reed Warblers' nest, pushes one Reed Warbler egg out of the nest, lays an egg and flies off. The whole process is achieved in only about 10 seconds. The Cuckoo chick will roll the other eggs out of the nest by pushing them with its back over the edge. At 14 days old, the Cuckoo chicks are about three times the size of the adult Reed Warblers. The numerous and rapid hunger calls of the single cuckoo chick encourage the host parents to bring more food.
Status:
Regular migrant, mostly seen in spring. Very rare breeder. Latest confirmed breeding record was in July 2009 when a dog found and killed a young cuckoo which had just fledged at Mizieb. 1st confirmed record was at Rabat on the 17th July 1993 when a recently fledged young was caught and ringed.
When to See:
Mostly seen in April and May. In autumn its seen in September/October.
Where to See:
Prefers areas with open woodland. Buskett, Comino and Dwejra (Malta) are very good sites to see this species.
Photographs:
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Common Cuckoo (grey morph), Comino |
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| Common Cuckoo, Comino | Common Cuckoo chick, Mizieb, July 2009 |
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Common Cuckoo (rufous morph), Comino |
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Cuckoo Young, Rabat, 17th July 1993 |
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