The Cuckoo is a dove sized bird with ash-grey upper parts and a dark-barred white belly. They are usually very hard to spot. If you do manage to see one you will probably see it as a dark, streamlined shape flying quite fast across fields between woodlands. It is far more likely that you will hear one. A male Cuckoo announces its presence with its characteristic 'cuck -oo' call.
The Cuckoo does not breed in Cyprus but a few are seen each year as it passes through the island on its way to its European breeding grounds. It is very unlikely that one would be heard calling here.
Cuckoos are fairly common in all types of terrain, in woodland and in open country right up to mountain slopes. The most interesting thing about the Cuckoo is that it does not make its own nest. It lays its egg in the nest of other species. The young Cuckoo hatches before the other bird's own eggs and pushes the rest of the eggs out of the nest.
What do they eat?
Insects - mainly caterpillars and beetles. The Cuckoo does not specialise in a particular species but will take advantage of those that are the most numerous and therefore the easiest to find and catch.
Cuckoo's nests
Instead of building their own nest, they use the nests of 'host' birds, such as Dunnocks and Meadow Pipits. When a female Cuckoo finds a suitable nest, and the owners are away, she will remove one of their eggs and lay her own in its place. Usually these nests belong to birds that are much smaller than the baby Cuckoo. The 'parent' birds must work even harder to feed their giant baby which they assume is their own.
Wintering sites
The Cuckoos that breed in Europe usually winter in Africa, especially in savanna areas. Some birds from the western part of Asia may winter in Europe, others in Asia up to New Guinea in the Pacific.
Populations of Cuckoos in Europe
The European population of Cuckoos is quite large and stable although recent reductions in Western Europe have been noticed, especially in France.
