Still very much nestled in the heart of winter, there are many pros to this time of year. I would go so far as to argue that it is my favourite time of year. One of the downsides, however, is that most of the migratory birds are still well north of us, in either Northern Africa or some as far as Europe and the Middle East. While this is a blog post in itself, the incredible feat that is migration – on a recent game drive we spotted a Klaas’s Cuckoo, a bird usually found this time of year in North Africa (from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east).
To understand this, we need to start at the beginning: with the exception of the Common Cuckoo, all the other cuckoos at Londolozi will breed here during the summer months. Compared to most other birds, the breeding strategy of cuckoos is unconventional, to say the least.
Cuckoos play absolutely no role in raising their young; what they do instead, is get other birds to incubate and raise their chicks for them, a behaviour known as brood parasitism. A Klass’s Cuckoo, for example, will attempt to lay its eggs in the nest of any unsuspecting species of Sunbirds or a Chin Spot Batis nest. The batis will then try to chase the cuckoo away but all the cuckoo needs is a few seconds to lay its egg amongst the eggs of the batis.
A Marsh Warbler nest containing a slightly larger Common Cuckoo egg in the top left and four warbler eggs.
On a quick side note – as if the breeding habits of cuckoos weren’t bizarre enough, things become even more unbelievable when the young cuckoos leave the nest. The cuckoos almost instinctively know how to act like cuckoos despite the fact that they are raised by birds of a completely different species. Case in point: the Klaas’s cuckoo will most often be raised together with the chicks of the batis and will learn the call that the batis chicks use when begging for food. The same Klaas’s Cuckoo will forget the call of the begging batis chicks and be able to give off a pitch-perfect Klaas’s Cuckoo call without ever being taught.
Klaas’s Cuckoos naturally are able to give off a perfect call and know exactly where and when to migrate.
Further still, all these freshly born cuckoos that belong to species that migrate during our winter months know exactly what time of year to leave Londolozi and which specific route to take without any guidance from other cuckoos. It is unfathomable how they know what to do, yet nature has a way of amazing us in so many different ways.
Here a Burchell’s Starling feeds a Great Spotted Cuckoo.
Now, understanding the complexities of a young cuckoo chick’s first year – it is not unreasonable to assume that some birds will miss the first migration that all others of the same species take part in. Of the eleven different species of cuckoo encountered at Londolozi, all are considered migratory (although one or two individuals do over-winter on occasion). However, if there is a cuckoo spotted here during the winter months, chances are (9 times out of 10) that it will be a Klaas’s Cuckoo.
While we still aren’t 100% certain as to why this specific species of cuckoo tends to over-winter more than others, there a records of resident breeding pairs recorded in all low-lying areas of their range (into which we fall). Perhaps the general trend in weather patterns is allowing the birds to survive a traditionally tougher winter, and with less competition from other cuckoos over food, the Klaas’s Cuckoo has started to break the mould of migration?
Whatever the reason, the distinctive call of the Klaas’ Cuckoo is already being heard, and it won’t be long before the rest follow. When winter eventually gives way to spring, the green leaves will arrive and with it the caterpillars and the cuckoos. But rest assured the cuckoos will leave like they always do, and the curious case of the cuckoos will again be reopened again.
Keagan: What a fascinating subject! Just as recent studies have revealed that elephants have distinct names for each other, perhaps future research will tell us the answers to your questions, above.
Keagan, thanks for the information about the cuckoo birds. They have a unique way of raising their chicks by abandoning them.
After reading your interesting post, it lead me to ponder why other species of birds seem to accept and care for the young of the cuckoos? Birds have sharp eyesight and I would think seeing a chick unlike their others would raise a red flag, yet Sean’s photo of the Burchell starling feeding the spotted cuckoo belies that assumption. Back to the cuckoo’s missed migration, perhaps it is climate change or that some birds just don’t want to leave such a special place.
I will never ceased to be amazed at the birds picture series you show in your blogs… there are so many different colours, varieties… the birds ‘ world is so wide, but in South Africa it’s really peculiar! Cuckoos included…
It is amazing that these birds can fly so many kilometers and have the right destination every time. They must surely have a built in GPS in their body. The energy that they use flying so many kilometers must take their toll. I always feel so sad seeing the cuckoo birds in other birds nests, or having to feed the cuckoo. But that is life.
This will be interesting to continue to watch over the coming years to see if it becomes more widespread. I wonder if global warming has something to do with it, if like you said, there’s enough food for them, so why bother with the energetic cost of migration?
What a coincidence! Recently, I have been looking into the current state of this intriguing and somewhat mysterious bird family. One of the first bird calls I heard when we arrived at our summer house in Northern Europe for Midsummer was the common cuckoo. Sadly, this bird has been experiencing a significant decline in our region for at least 15 years.
The shiny green color of Klaas’s cuckoo is truly beautiful…!
Thank you, Keagan, for this interesting reminder of the ways of the cuckoos. Absolutely fascinating birds!
Nature is really full of riddles and surprises we have to solve (maybe) yet. It is indeed amazing how these birds know exactly how they should behave as “cuckoos” after a childhood as Batises, Starlings or whatever.