Common Cuckoo

Cuculus canorus (Linnaeus, 1758)

		male female juvenile female rufous morph
2018-05-21 Chui valley, Ozernoe. 2017-07-05 Ozernoe, Chuy Valley2019-07-28 Kum-Bel pass2015-04-26 Chon-Aryk village Chui valley.	© Irina Romanovskaia © Tatiana Menshikova© Philippe Campeau© Irina Romanovskaia

Biology

Common breeding migrant. Inhabits the forests and meadows in river valleys; deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests on plains and in mountains up to 2000 (Altai) – 3000m (Tien Shan); lakes with reed-beds; parks and gardens. Arrives in mid-April – May. Last migrants recorded in early June. Breeding coincides with breeding period of its main hosts (Warblers, Yellow, White, Masked and Grey Wagtails, Bluethroat, Turkestan Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, Stonechat, Himalayan Rubythroat, Severtzov’s Tit-warbler, Black-throated and Brown Accentors, Red-headed Bunting). Cuckoo eggs were recorded from mid-May up to early July, fledglings in end June to early August. At once the observing Cuckoo found the nest of Himalayan Rubythroat with clutch at the late stage of incubation and ate all eggs. The same behaviour in two nests of White Wagtail was observed in Ural valley. At such manner Cuckoo stimulates the repeated breeding of its host. Autumn migration begins in end of July – August, latest birds recorded in end September – mid-October, at Chokpak Pass singles ringed 20 September 2004 and 4 October 2000.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург, Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.