''Cuculus'' is a
genus of
cuckoos which has representatives in most of the
Old World
The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...
, although the greatest diversity is in tropical southern and southeastern
Asia.
Taxonomy
The
genus ''Cuculus'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist
Carl Linnaeus in the
tenth edition of his ''
Systema Naturae
' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...
''. The genus name is the
Latin word for "cuckoo".
The
type species is the
common cuckoo (''Cuculus canorus'').
Species
The genus contains 11 species:
*
Black cuckoo, ''Cuculus clamosus''
*
Red-chested cuckoo, ''Cuculus solitarius''
*
Lesser cuckoo, ''Cuculus poliocephalus''
*
Sulawesi cuckoo
The Sulawesi cuckoo (''Cuculus crassirostris'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is often known as the Sulawesi hawk-cuckoo but appears not to be related to the other hawk-cuckoos.Payne, Robert B. (2005) ''The Cuckoos'', Oxford ...
or Sulawesi hawk-cuckoo, ''Cuculus crassirostris''
*
Indian cuckoo, ''Cuculus micropterus''
*
Madagascar cuckoo
The Madagascar cuckoo (''Cuculus rochii''), also known as the Madagascar lesser cuckoo, is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. Though it breeds only in Madagascar, it spends the non-breeding season in a number of countries in the African ...
, ''Cuculus rochii''
*
African cuckoo
The African cuckoo (''Cuculus gularis'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa where it migrates within the continent, generally arriving and breeding in any one locality during the rainy season. A fair ...
, ''Cuculus gularis''
*
Himalayan cuckoo, ''Cuculus saturatus''
*
Oriental cuckoo, ''Cuculus optatus'' (formerly ''horsfieldi'') (split from ''C. saturatus'')
*
Sunda cuckoo, ''Cuculus lepidus'' (split from ''C. saturatus'')
*
Common cuckoo, ''Cuculus canorus''
Some sources also include the
pallid cuckoo in this genus, although there is disagreement about appropriate classification.
The hawk-cuckoos are now placed in a separate genus, ''
Hierococcyx'', while the pallid cuckoo belongs in ''
Cacomantis''.
These
birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. Most occur in open forests, but some prefer more open country. Several species are
migratory.
These are vocal species, with persistent and loud calls. They feed on large
insects, with hairy
caterpillar
Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths).
As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...
s, which are distasteful to many birds, being a speciality. One or two species will also take some fruit.
''Cuculus'' cuckoos are
brood parasite
Brood parasites are animals that rely on others to raise their young. The strategy appears among birds, insects and fish. The brood parasite manipulates a host, either of the same or of another species, to raise its young as if it were its own ...
s, that is, they lay a single egg in the nests of various
passerine hosts. The best-known example is the European
common cuckoo. The female cuckoo in each case replaces one of the host's eggs with one of her own. The cuckoo egg hatches earlier than the host's, and the chick grows faster; in most cases the cuckoo chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species.
''Cuculus'' species lay coloured eggs to match those of their
passerine hosts. Female cuckoos specialise in a particular host species (generally the species that raised them) and lay eggs that closely resemble the eggs of that host.
A species may consist of several gentes, with each gens specialising in a particular host. There is some evidence that the gentes are genetically different from one another though other authorities state that as female cuckoos mate with males of any gens, genes flow between gentes.
References
Further reading
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q746658
Bird genera