Wild Wednesday – Common cuckoo
Each spring, the song of the Common Cuckoo, scientific name, Cuculus canorus) can be heard across the woodlands and grasslands in southern and eastern England, marking the return of one of Britain's most iconic migratory birds. For birdwatchers and nature lovers, hearing the cuckoo's call is a seasonal highlight.
It arrives from central Africa around mid-April, where it has spent the winter in and around the Congo rainforest. They are expected to return to Africa by the end of June.
Known for its cunning and deception, the cuckoo has a well-earned reputation. These next invaders drive woodland birds from their nests, leaving their own eggs behind to be unknowingly raised by the unsuspecting hosts, such as warblers and dunnocks. A female may lay up to 25 eggs per season, each in a different nest. The cuckoo chick hatches quickly and will push out the host eggs or chicks, taking control of the food supply from the foster parents.
Cuckoos are between a blackbird and woodpigeon in size. They have pointed wings that droop when perched, a blue-grey head, back, and chest, and barred black-and-white underparts.
They prefer a habitat with a good supply of host birds and caterpillars and avoid urban areas. You may spot one in open countryside, including woodlands, heathlands, wetlands, and farmland.
In 2025, sightings of the Common Cuckoo have been reported on the South Downs and in hotspots like the Knepp Estate, a rewilding haven near Horsham.
This area, with its mosaic of scrub, grassland, and wetland, provides ideal conditions for the cuckoo's host species and supports a healthy insect population for feeding.
Considered a relatively rare bird in the UK due to declining population numbers - they are listed as a 'red' priority species under the UK's Biodiversity Framework. Since the 1960s, cuckoo populations have decreased by 60%, and there are now fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs in the UK.
Read more here: Cuckoo | The Wildlife Trusts