Lesser Cuckoo

The Gackelkuckuck (Cuculus poliocephalus ), also known as Little Cuckoo or Rötelkuckuck, belongs to the order of the Cuckoo Birds ( Cuculiformes ) and to the family of cuckoos ( Cuculidae ), a widely used around the world bird family, whose most famous feature of brood parasitism.

Appearance

The Gackelkuckuck is about 28 inches long. The head and back are gray, the wings and tail are dark brown. The breast and belly are white with black stripes. However, these are finer than European cuckoo. The Gackelkuckuck has a yellow eye ring.

Behavior

The Gackelkuckuck feeds mainly on insects, especially caterpillars. He is a brood parasite, which, for example, the nightingale lays its eggs in the nests of other songbirds. His young he does not pull himself so on. The call of the male is shrill and penetrating and is to be compared with the sound after the syllable sequence kyo, kyo, kyo -kyo -kyo -kyo -kyo. The Gackelkuckuck be heard early in the morning, but also sings at night.

Occurrence

The distribution area of Gackelkuckucks extends from East Africa via Madagascar to go to India and southern China.

In May achieve some individuals whose wintering areas are in India and in Southeast Asia, and northern China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. This late return is an adaptation to the breeding season of birds, lays its eggs in the nests of Gackelguckuck. In addition, his preferred food in northern areas is sufficiently available only at this time.

The Gackelkuckuck is a native species in the following African countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the following Asian countries: Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Korea ( both states ), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam.

An exceptional guest he's in the African Somalia and in the following Asian countries: Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Laos, Seychelles and Thailand.

Japanese Culture

In Japan, the Gackelkuckuck Hototogisu (不如 帰) is called. Unlike in Europe, where the bird is not present, he plays in Japan and also in China since ancient times, a role as a literary motif and has been considered in the course of time, with multiple names and spellings.

The Gackelkuckuck found in Japan as a summer bird anywhere north of Kyūshū. Only on itself and on Kyushu Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's main islands, it is rare.

The name itself stirs Hototogisu, as is the German word cuckoo, of the male mating call forth the sometimes like ho -to to- gi -su sounds for Japanese ears: In Japan, the cuckoo is calling his own name.

Classic Literature

Because of its often " passionate," said the singing Gackelkuckuck today as in earlier times the subject of numerous Waka, traditional Japanese poems. Already in the Man'yōshū, the first large Japanese poetry collection, this is clear. He often occurs in poems together with the star -filled bush ( Deutzia scabra jap卯の花, u no hana ) or the wild mandarin (Citrus tachibana, Japanese橘, tachibana ), which start to bloom at the same time, which also includes the call of Gackelkuckucks resounds for the first time.

Also, as a singing bird in the night he will be appreciated. The first call of the Gackelkuckucks in a year is shinobine (忍び音, dt as " low tone " ), which indicates that the first calls are still timid and quiet. In the so-called pillow book, we find the description of the night staying awake with the intention to hear the song of the Gackelkuckucks before anyone else.

Since the Heian period of Gackelkuckuck was often (namely郭 公) written with the same characters as the ordinary cuckoo, which may have been inflicted by the similarity of the birds. Also Matsuo Bashō, a famous Japanese haiku poet of the early Edo period, using these characters.

Legends and folk beliefs

Many Japanese say the Gackelkuckuck question goes back to the classical Chinese literature. In particular, the spellings杜宇,蜀 魂,不如 帰for Hototogisu find their origin in a Chinese legend that the Emperor Dǜyǔ (杜宇) of the Chinese Empire Shu (蜀国) falls in love with the wife of a follower, renounced the throne and the country have left, but then to have died in a foreign land. His soul is transformed into a Gackelkuckuck and Buru reputation in memory of the homeland GUI (不如 归, Japanese reading: kaeru ni shikazu ) have sent, he can still hear.

Moreover, since the Edo period also came to Japan on the superstition that it was to hear a bad omen, the reputation of the Gackelkuckucks while staying on the toilet. The source for this is also of Chinese origin. It is the story collections Yǒuyáng zázǔ (酉阳 雑 俎) and Taiping guǎngjì (太平广记).

Modern Literature

1897 founded Masaoka Shiki haiku magazine Hototogisu ( Gackelkuckuck ). Shiki also compared himself with this animal. From Tokutomi Roka a novel comes with the title Hototogisu.