Cuckoo: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	cuckoo bird • Cuculidae

Photos

A common cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, holds a large caterpillar in its beak against a blurred green background.

Cuckoo (Cuculus).

Body plans of representative Cuculiformes.

See All Images →

Topics

Ground cuckoo Coucal Ani Roadrunner Guira Malcoha Coua common ani Geococcyx californianus senegal coucal Turaco

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Macaw. bird. Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) in Quantana Roo, Mexico. A large colorful parrot native to tropical North and South America.

Know Your Birds Quiz: Part One

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names

turkey vulture. vulture. Close-up of a head and beak of a Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

A Little Bird Told Me

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024

Animal Factoids