A gentler breed of cuckoo arrives from Africa

CUCKOOS are arriving from Africa. Pity the poor meadow pipits they will dupe; their clutches destroyed, they will work themselves to the bone raising the enemy’s chicks.

Being conned by a cuckoo must spell disaster for any small bird. However, new research from Spain suggests that, sometimes, it doesn’t. Having a cuckoo in your nest, it suggests, might even be a blessing. It depends on how big you are and the species of cuckoo which tries to take advantage of you.

Our European cuckoo lays a single egg in the nests of meadow pipits and other small birds, removing one of the victim’s eggs as she does.