The cuckoo | Facts & Information

Origin

When we imagine the Cuckoo, we certainly do not think of some wonderful creatures, with a beautiful coloring of feathers, who beautify our mornings or evenings by their special songs and who amaze by the grace with which they take flight in the sky.

This is not because they are not deosedite birds that deserve our admiration, but because they are associated with all kinds of negative superstitions, which lead to an image as scary as possible, causing us to stay out of their way as much as possible.

This bird, the most common among nocturnal Raptors in Europe, is a small owl, 23-27 centimeters long, with a short tail and a grayish brown plumage on the back and more whitish on the chest, common in central and southern Europe, in open regions.

It generally shelters in tree hollows, on rocks, preferring rocky regions, in abandoned buildings, in church belfries or in ravine holes. It is usually active at night, but it also happens to look for food during the day.

The Cuckoo is not a migratory bird, in winter it uses a store of fat accumulated in the body in the warm seasons.

Feeding The Cuckoo

The only reason it can stay near people's homes is the need to find food. They feed mostly on rodents, besides large insects, Bream, birds, small snakes or lizards, which constitute the food of these predators.

Thus, it is a bird that offers a great benefit, helping us to eliminate from rodents, which multiply very quickly and are downright dangerous because they are carriers of diseases. Diseases that can be caused by rodents can be transmitted to man, rodents being much more dangerous and harmful to man than a cuckoo could ever be.

The presence of these doomed birds is very necessary to our ecosystem, all species of night predators being extremely useful. If they did not exist, the number of rodents would multiply excessively and lead to the destruction of crops, the depletion of food resources, affecting the food chains.

By the skill with which rodents prey, the problems caused by hunting mice with baits and poisons disappear, doing the job for us.

Features Cuckoo

Like the family to which it belongs, The Cuckoo has very well developed hearing and vision, used to sense if someone approaches her, even at the slightest noise. Due to the silky feathers, no sound is heard when it flies, passing without being felt its flight.

She usually pulls her head between her shoulders and rotates her eyes when she is still, leaving the impression that she is thinking. In fact, it is a symbol of wisdom in the Greeks, they considered it the bird of Athens, goddess of wisdom. Indians also regard it as a symbol of good luck, fertility, prosperity and generosity.

Unfortunately in US and in Europe the Cuckoo is not seen with good eyes, it is considered to foretell a misfortune, being perceived as a bringer of disease or death. These superstitions date back to ancient times and are still topical today, which is why those who hear it singing on the house, on the trees, on the fence or see it anywhere near their home, begin to worry, believing the superstitions inherited from a long time ago and as if waiting afraid to happen some misfortune.

The eyes are very interesting and may be one of the reasons why the Cuckoo is considered harmful, because they have large yellow eyes, and compared to other birds that have eyes on either side of the head, they have eyes set in front.

For this reason they are considered "birds with a face" and it is quite unusual to look at them, especially if we take into account the fact that they have expressive eyes, and it is not natural to see how two bird eyes look at you with their gaze, which look at you like a human, against the background of the deep darkness of the night. Surely this is her charm, as well as the other birds like her, without any reason to be frightened.

Their song that many do not want to hear is somewhat sinister, because the sound produced by them, "cucuveau, cucuveau" is much too screaming, sometimes it sounds like a diabolical laugh, with a high tonality, and sometimes like a sharp meow, but nevertheless it does not deserve to be called "Bird of the dead" or "bird of poverty". Unfortunately, cuckoos are in decline, which is why they are protected by law and an understanding of the advantages offered by these birds is encouraged.

A big mistake is the way some people act when they see them, attacking them with stones or sticks, sometimes even killing them, without being entitled to do so and affecting the feeding chain of a whole series of species. These birds are wonderful and interesting creatures, fascinating by their strange behavior.

Athene noctua noctua-Europe and Russia

Athene noctua bactriana from Iraq to India

Athene noctua glaux-from North Africa to Israel

Athene noctua impasta-China

Athene noctua Indigenous – Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Turkey

Athene noctua lilith-Turkey, Iraq, Egypt

Athene noctua ludlowi-Himalayas

Athene noctua orientalis-Kazakhstan and China

Athene noctua plumipes-Mongolia, Siberia and China.

Athene noctua saharae-Morocco, Egypt and Central Arabia

Athene noctua somaliensis-Ethiopia and Somalia

Athene noctua spilogastra-Sudan Eritrea and Ethiopia

Athene noctua vidalii-Western Europe

Breeding Cuckoo

The mating period at cucuvea lasts between April and June, the female laying eggs (3-6) in abandoned nests of woodpeckers.