Great Spotted Cuckoo
Häherkuckuck ( Clamator tinnunculus )
The Häherkuckuck ( Clamator tinnunculus ) is a cuckoo bird, which is found in the Mediterranean and beyond, and as a breeding parasite his boys can usually raise of corvids.
Features
The Häherkuckuck is slightly larger than the cuckoo with a body length of 35-39 cm, a weight of 140-170 g and a wingspan of 58-66 cm. However, his tail is slightly longer and narrower and the wings wider and blunter than those of the cuckoo. The legs are gray. Juvenile and adult birds have a bright orange-red eye-ring. The beak is gray at the base, otherwise black. The back and wings are dark gray, the shield springs and small and large blankets have white spots on the tips. The arm and primaries have white fringes at the tips, as well as the tail feathers, which are graded in length. The underside is bright, the throat and breast are yellowish. The adult Häherkuckucke have a striking silver gray hood, crown and ear-coverts. The top of the head and wings of the young birds are black. The primaries are reddish brown. After the first moult these black feathers and parts of the primaries are sepia.
The Häherkuckuck moves on the ground usually hopping forward with raised tail. Sitting on a fence he recalls in the attitude of a magpie. The flight is cuckoo -like with some very shallow, rapid wing beats and short inlaid Gleitstrecken.
Voice
The Häherkuckuck voting is happy and loud. The calls are very diverse. He often shouts rattling " tjerr - tjerr - tje - tje - tje " or "ki -ki -ki- kriä - kriä - kriä ... ", which can sometimes remember the wheatear. In particular, the female has Rufreihen, the memories of their rolling, cackling gi -gi -gi -gi -gi - ku - ku - ku rather to the cries of green woodpeckers. When excited, he calls nasal and rough " chäh ". Song of the Häherkuckucks other hand, is rarely heard. It consists of a verse in rows of monotonous, falling in pitch CRT -u, üüg - üüg, ki- ü or kliiok elements.
Habitat and Distribution
The Häherkuckuck preferred habitat sparse forests, open landscapes with individual bushes or trees. The distribution area includes southwestern and southern Europe, Asia Minor in the west to Iran and to Upper Egypt and parts of Africa south of the Sahara. In Central Europe it is rarely proven Irrgast.
The far living in the north or south of their range populations usually move northward Europe to Africa and from South Africa. When you train the birds form large flocks.
Habitat is flat or hilly, open terrain with individual shrubs and trees. He follows his host birds occasionally in park.
Behavior
The Häherkuckuck is an insectivore and examined in light forest regions mainly on the ground for food. Like other cuckoos he eats well, which is not possible many other species of birds, large, hairy caterpillars, which he sometimes washed off before eating the hair. Small reptiles supplement the diet.
Reproduction
The Häherkuckuck is a brood parasite, and lays its eggs in the nests of crows, especially of magpies and azure-winged magpie. In Africa also include other birds to the hosts. The male distracts the host parent birds, while the female at least throws an egg of the host bird out of the nest and replaced by a private. In a breeding season can lay up to 18 eggs at intervals of two days, the female.
Unlike the cuckoo chick this type tolerates the next generation of his adoptive parents by his side. It is like this largely in the plumage color and also imitates the begging calls for. The young bird is growing up rapidly and leave the nest after 18 days, but is still another 25 to 59 days fed by its foster parents.