The male cuckoo's distinctive call carries considerable distances. The female has quite a different call - a rich bubbling chuckle. Cuckoos are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other unfortunate species. The female watches prospective nests closely and when she gets a chance, she snatches one of the eggs from the nest and lays one of her own in its place. The adult cuckoos take no further part in the raising of their chicks.
When the cuckoo chick hatches, it somehow knows to eject any other eggs or nestlings from the nest, so that the poor host parents can give it their undivided attention. The greedy young cuckoo grows fast and is soon far bigger than its foster parents, who nevertheless continue to feed it, even after it has left the nest.
No comments:
Post a Comment