The common cuckoo is the European-to-African migrant recognized for the familiar “cuckoo” call.
Its scientific name is Cuculus canorus, and it breeds across much of Europe and temperate Asia before wintering in Africa. European birds usually arrive in April and depart by September. The male’s two-note song gives the species its English name and inspired the cuckoo-clock sound.
The common cuckoo is also a brood parasite: instead of raising its own young, a female lays an egg in another bird’s nest. Common hosts include dunnocks, meadow pipits and reed warblers. It is easy to confuse this species with North American cuckoos or other cuckoo species, but the European migration-and-call combination points specifically to the common cuckoo. Its barred underside and hawk-like silhouette are additional identification clues.