Page 6 - Cornwall Issue 6_2023

NATURE

DIEDERIK

CUCKOO

(AFR. DIEDERIKKIE)

Photographed at Rietvlei Nature Reserve by
ivanmullerphotography@gmail.com. Instagram: ivans.bird.pics.

Have you ever heard of the in the west to South Africa in the
Diederik Cuckoo? This small south. It prefers to breed in open
bird is a summer visitor to South woodlands and savannas, where it
Africa, where it delights us with can find suitable host nests.
its distinctive call and colourful
plumage. But did you know that this The Diederik Cuckoo is an
bird is also a master of deception? insectivore. It eats a variety of
insects such as caterpillars, beetles,
The Diederik Cuckoo belongs to the and grasshoppers. It is a shy bird
cuckoo family, which is famous for and is not easy to see.
its brood parasitic behaviour. This
means that the cuckoo does not The Diederik Cuckoo lives alone or
build its own nest, but lays its eggs in pairs. It does not form flocks or
mainly in the nests of Southern groups with other birds. It is a vocal
Red Bishops, Southern Masked bird, and its call is a loud and clear
Weaver and Cape Sparrows. The “dee-dee-dee-rik”. This is how it got
female only seeks out the nests its name, which is derived from the
of her foster parents and lays an Afrikaans word “diederik”.
egg identical in size and colour!
The host birds then raise the The Diederik Cuckoo is a beautiful
cuckoo chicks as their own, without and intriguing bird, but it is also a
realising that they have been threat to some of its host species.
tricked. The fledging eventually flies The cuckoo chick is usually larger
back to Equatorial Africa without than the host chicks, and it usually
parental guidance. pushes them out of the nest.
The Diederik Cuckoo is an intra- Next time you hear its call or see
African migrant which means that its feathers, remember that there
it travels between different regions is more to this bird than meets the
of Africa. It breeds in sub-Saharan eye. It is a migrant, a parasite, and
Africa, from Senegal and Ethiopia a survivor. It is the Diederik Cuckoo.

4 Cornwall View • Issue 6 2023