What kind of food do cuckoos eat?

Cuckoos often refer to about 60 species of arboreal species of the subfamily Azaleae and Azaleae, also known as du Yu, Zi Gui, Chu Gui, etc., belonging to the genus rhododendraceae, distributed in temperate and tropical regions around the world, especially in the tropical regions of the Old Hemisphere. Inhabiting places with dense vegetation, they are timid and often hear their sounds but do not see their shapes. Let's take a look at what cuckoos eat.

What kind of food do cuckoos eat?

Cuckoos are mostly omnivorous and can help humans eliminate pests, such as beetles, maggots, pine inchworms and kowtowing beetles, which are all food for cuckoos, especially pine caterpillars, the archenemy of pine trees. Pine caterpillar is a pest that many birds do not like to eat, but cuckoos prefer its delicacy. A cuckoo can prey on more than 100 caterpillars per hour. In addition, the cuckoo also eats other agricultural and forestry pests, so it is also called the "forest guardian".

Species characteristics of cuckoo

The most well-known characteristic of rhododendron is the parasitism of hatching eggs, which is found in all species of the subfamily Azaleae and three species of the subfamily Azaleae, that is, they lay eggs in the nests of certain species of birds and hatch and raise their young by adoptive parents. Forty-seven species of rhododendrinae have different adaptations to increase the survival rate of chicks, such as cuckoo eggs shaped like host eggs (mimicry), thus reducing the chance of hosts abandoning it. Cuckoo adults remove one or more eggs from the host so that the host will not see an increase in the number of eggs and reduce competition among host chicks. Cuckoo chicks push the eggs and chicks of their hosts out of the nest. The appearance and behavior of some cuckoos are similar to those of the genus Eagle, and the host is afraid, so the cuckoo can approach the host's nest without interference. Therefore, many people give the cuckoo the title of "evil bird".

Common species of cuckoos

1. Brown-bellied rhododendron: the brown-bellied rhododendron is a bird of the genus Rhododendron of the rhododendron family, with a slate-gray surface on the top of the head, back of the neck, side of the head, back and wings. The iris is orange to scarlet, yellow around the eyes, black at the corners of the upper mouth, green at the base and corners of the lower mouth, and bright yellow feet. Distributed in China's southern neighboring countries as well as the Malay Islands, north to the former Soviet Union, east to Japan, as well as the east and south of Chinese mainland, mostly in evergreen forests or dense mountain shrubs. Alert and timid, he often cries among the branches and leaves of the trees.

2. Four-tone rhododendron: four-tone rhododendron often lives in the woods, which is not easy to see at ordinary times. The cry is particularly loud, four times a degree, the sound imitates "Kuaixuanggu". Every 2-3 seconds, sometimes all night. Omnivorous, pecking pine caterpillars, beetles and other insects, but also eating plant seeds. Do not build nests, but lay eggs in the nests of Reed warblers, black curly tails and so on. The eggs are similar to the host eggs. Found in the eastern coastal areas of China, from the northeast to Hainan Province, abroad widely distributed in Southeast Asia.

3. Yellow-billed rhododendron: yellow-billed rhododendron adult bird is 26 cm long and weighs 55 g. There is a long tail, brown at the top, black and white at the bottom, and a black arc with a yellowish beak from the lower jaw. It mainly feeds on insects, especially Lepidoptera larvae, such as pine caterpillars, tree butterfly larvae, moths, and sometimes a small amount of plant food such as plant seeds.

4. Eight-tone rhododendron: the eight-tone rhododendron is 21cm long, with a flat and pointed mouth. Male bird head, neck and upper chest gray, back to tail dark gray, tail with white end spots. Light brown chestnut below the chest, there are no horizontal spots on the upper and lower body, and the cry is eight times one degree. The female is grayish black and maroon. Like open woodland, secondary forests and farming areas, including towns and villages. Often besieged by small flocks of birds, the call is familiar to the ear, but it is difficult to see the bird.