A strange creature, feared and mobbed be some birds presumably because of its hawk-like appearance in flight.
It leaves its eggs in the nests of birds of other types, to be hatched by the owner of the nest. Then the young cuckoos cast out the eggs and nestlings of their foster-parents, who continue to feed the usurping youngsters. On leaving the nest, the young cuckoos are fed, not only by their foster parents, but by any other small bird which may hear their hungry cries, until they are big and strong enough for the migration flight. Adult cuckoos arrive in Britain in April and leave in August. |