Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. May 2021. Not baited. Not called in.

Birding from the observation tower at Réserve des Grangettes, I could hear the Common Cuckoo calling. After a while, it appeared, flying towards me and landing right in front of me in the open. You do not see a Common Cuckoo that well every day!

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in Sciez, France. April 2016. Not baited. Not called in.

This other image was taken during a birding day trip with the GOBG on the south bank of Lake Geneva in April 2016. After checking waders at La Coudrée, we heard a Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) on our way to the car. The excursion leader, Alexis, said that the best chance to see a Common Cuckoo is to not look for it. :)

Our next stop was at the marsh area of the Domaine de Guidou. We walked to the newly built observatory, and after 2mn, a Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) arrived! He stopped on a tree for 5 seconds, not enough time for me to fire. But then he took off and I just had the time to take this shot. So we did not really have time to admire it but I am still very happy to have actually seen this species for the first time.

As you can see on the picture, it is a Rufous morph Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), which occurs occasionally in adult females but more often in juveniles. Being in April, I assume it is a female here.

The Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is probably the most famous parasitic species. Watching it fly that day, I really appreciated how it mimics the sparrowhawk's flight and plumage. This evolution gives the female time to lay eggs parasitically. Nature is incredible!

Love Nature.
Jonathan