Common Cuckoo

birds · tricksters · Europe · super clever

Sneaky egg layer. Female cuckoos don't build their own nests or raise their babies. Instead, they sneak into other birds' nests and lay their eggs there, leaving the other birds to do all the work of feeding and caring for the baby cuckoos.

Famous call. The common cuckoo got its name from the sound it makes: a clear, two-note call that sounds like 'coo-coo.' This call is so recognizable that it's the sound clocks use to announce the hours.

European traveler. Common cuckoos live across Europe and Asia. They're migratory birds, which means they fly south to Africa for winter and return to Europe in spring to have babies.

Member of a family. Cuckoos belong to an order of birds called Cuculiformes, which also includes roadrunners (the speedy desert birds), anis (tropical birds that live together in groups), and coucals (ground-dwelling cuckoos).

Perfect imposter. Baby cuckoos are expert tricksters too. They often push the other chicks out of the nest and get all the food for themselves, even though they're being raised by a completely different bird species.