Cuckoo

Discussions and information on all Southern African Birds
User avatar
Flutterby
Posts: 44150
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:28 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Flutterby »

Copycat. ^0^


User avatar
nan
Posts: 26304
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 9:41 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Central Europe
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by nan »

\O ^Q^


Kgalagadi lover… for ever
https://safrounet.piwigo.com/
User avatar
Dindingwe
Posts: 830
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2018 6:13 pm
Country: Bolivia
Location: La Paz
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Dindingwe »

Levaillant's Cuckoo (Kruger H4-1)

1O4A4407.jpg

Diederick Cuckoo (in my garden, Maputo)

IMG_0400.JPG
IMG_0397.JPG


User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Lisbeth »

Beautiful cuckoos, Dindingwe! Especially the Diderick ^Q^ ^Q^


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
User avatar
Flutterby
Posts: 44150
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:28 pm
Country: South Africa
Location: Gauteng, South Africa
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Flutterby »

Lovely!! \O I hear the Piet-my-vrou every morning but have yet to see it! :O^


User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75838
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Richprins »

Excellent! X#X


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
User avatar
Richprins
Committee Member
Posts: 75838
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 3:52 pm
Location: NELSPRUIT
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Richprins »

Image

Kruger Sightings
@LatestKruger
3:02 pm
1 Great Spotted Cuckoo stationary
Letaba Camping Site
5/5
Near Letaba
Tinged by CdB
(Photo)


Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
User avatar
Peter Betts
Posts: 3084
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:28 am
Country: RSA
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Peter Betts »

Oh WOW ..Juv too so parents must have parasited a Crow's or a Glossy Starlings Nest over Dec ..My Favorite Cuckoo along with the RARE Thickbilled Cuckoo


Klipspringer
Global Moderator
Posts: 5862
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 12:34 pm
Country: Germany
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Klipspringer »

African Emerald Cuckoo
Chrysococcyx cupreus

Chrysococcyx cupreus.jpg
Chrysococcyx cupreus.jpg (208.32 KiB) Viewed 205 times

20 cm; 38 g. Adult male brilliant iridescent green above, head and breast green, belly yellow; eye-ring blue, iris brown, bill green, slaty below, feet bluish. Female barred green and rufous above, face brownish and finely barred white, whitish below with greenish bars, breast washed buff, eye-ring bluish green, iris dark brown, bill black-tipped. Juvenile barred green and brown above, head barred green and white, below barred white and green (green bars as wide as white).

Like other cuckoos the African Emerald Cuckoo is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in nests of other birds. The intricacies of this behaviour have been unravelled over the ages and are suggested to have evolved as a way of boosting breeding success. It may have started with birds using old nests of other species or as a method of egg-dumping, where females lay their eggs in the nests of conspecifics or other species. Today it has evolved into a highly successful survival strategy.
How does this work? The female, firstly, removes an egg from the host’s nest, to compensate for the addition of her own (very clever :-0 ). The cuckoo egg is a close match although it is often larger; the egg has a relatively shorter incubation period, ensuring that it’ll hatch before or soon after the resident eggs. The cuckoo hatchling has the physical traits (concave back, strong legs and stubby wings) and the instincts to eliminate all competitors at its earliest convenience.
Females further optimises breeding success by laying 3 to 4 eggs in a ‘clutch’, depositing each in a different hosts nest. Since she does not need to care for the young she is able to lay up to 20 eggs per season, boosting productivity significantly.

Camaroptera brachyura (Green-backed camaroptera) is the most likely host in Southern Africa.


User avatar
Lisbeth
Site Admin
Posts: 67237
Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 12:31 pm
Country: Switzerland
Location: Lugano
Contact:

Re: Cuckoo

Post by Lisbeth »

I wonder what Nature's reason for cuckoos doing this is? :-?


"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
Post Reply

Return to “Birds”