Cuckoo class of ‘24 makes it safely back to Africa (mostly…)
Cuckoo | ©Sarah Kelman | BTO
Words by The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)
IG: @btobirds
Covered by Conker Nature Magazine
IG: @conkernaturemagazine
First Published: 03rd December 2024 at 10:00 AM GMT
Migrating birds face many perils on their long and arduous journeys, and thanks to ongoing work to track and monitor UK breeding Cuckoos, we are continuing to learn about these incredible feats of nature.
Cuckoo | ©Sarah Kelman | BTO
With further research, it is hoped that scientists can unravel what is driving the differences in survival that we have seen, and to determine what can be done to alleviate the problems the birds encounter. Comparing survival rates of the tagged birds with the environmental conditions recorded along the two flyways, for birds both breeding in parts of the UK where the population is declining, and those where it is stable or increasing, will help us to further understand the causes of decline.
“Understanding the dangers that many of these birds face as they migrate vast distances, can help us to consider how we might help to protect them. Each satellite-tagged bird provides essential data, uncovering mysteries that we could only have guessed at previously. This ongoing project opens a significant window on the wonders of migration, and our discoveries are helping to shape the way we look at bird migration more widely”
Thanks to the generosity of donors, who have helped fund this research, it is hoped that this work will continue to provide new data and insights that will help conservationists to shape measures that will safeguard these remarkable birds, so that generations may enjoy hearing that distinctive ‘cuck-coo’ for many years to come.
Follow the Cuckoos’ progress and learn more about the individual birds at www.bto.org/cuckoos
A cohort of Cuckoos, fitted with satellite tags by researchers at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), have now made their way from UK breeding sites to tropical Africa where they will spend the winter months. Tracked by both the scientists, and thousands of fascinated members of public via an online map depicting their real-time movements, the Cuckoos have provided extraordinary insights into their peripatetic ways.
The song of the Cuckoo is amongst the most recognisable of all wild bird sounds and was once a much-anticipated clarion of summer across much of the UK. Sadly, we have seen sharp declines in the number of Cuckoos in recent years, but the reasons why are still not fully understood.
Since 2011, BTO has fitted more than 120 individual Cuckoos with state-of-the-art satellite tags to unravel the mysteries of their migrations and help their conservation. BTO scientists studying these enigmatic birds are gaining a clearer understanding of the routes the birds take and how they may respond to the complex array of challenges that they face along the way.
With new birds tagged in May and June 2024, the total number of Cuckoos that set off from the UK after the breeding season this year numbered 13, with 12 of those successfully making the mammoth journey south through Europe, across the Mediterranean and then flying over the expansive Sahara Desert to their wintering grounds in the vast African intra-tropical rainforests.
Among the many discoveries made from the tagging project so far, is that male Cuckoos spend far less time in the UK than previously thought. Most male birds arrive in Britain towards the end of April or beginning of May and most leave again during June. One of the Cuckoos, originally tagged in Killarney National Park, Ireland in May 2023, returned to the same area in May of this year; a mere 28 days later, he was off, heading south and back toward his wintering grounds once again!
The BTO study has also identified that different Cuckoos use distinctly different routes. Interestingly, in parts of the UK where Cuckoos are most clearly declining as breeding birds, they have a tendency to use a westerly migratory route via Spain, while birds summering in regions with less apparent declines are more more likely to migrate to Africa via a more eastern route, through Italy or Greece.
Cuckoo | ©Colin Brown | BTO