Wildlife

Cuckoo Welfare and Long-Distance Migration Challenges

Welfare and conservation overview for cuckoos -- iconic summer migrants declining across the UK.

Key Facts

Cuckoos have declined by over 65% in parts of the UK since the 1980s
They migrate from sub-Saharan Africa to UK breeding grounds -- one of the longest migrations of any UK breeding bird
Satellite tracking has revealed that cuckoos use two main routes across Europe and Africa
Survival rates on the western route through Spain and West Africa are significantly higher than the eastern route
Food availability at African wintering grounds is affected by habitat loss and drought
In the UK, cuckoos depend on large hairy caterpillars -- particularly of tiger moths -- as their primary food
Dunnocks, reed warblers, and meadow pipits are their primary hosts for brood parasitism
Welfare during migration includes exhaustion, starvation at stopover sites, and predation risk

Welfare Significance

Cuckoo welfare is a story of extreme physiological challenge. Their migrations are among the most energetically demanding journeys undertaken by any animal, and declining food availability along routes and at breeding grounds means that individual cuckoos are increasingly pushed to physiological limits. Conservation action targeting all parts of their annual cycle is needed.

What You Can Do

Support cuckoo conservation projects tracking migration routes and identifying survival bottlenecks
Create habitats that support tiger moth caterpillars -- the primary food of cuckoos in the UK
Maintain grassland and scrub habitats that support host species for cuckoo brood parasitism
Donate to the BTO Cuckoo tracking project that has transformed understanding of cuckoo welfare challenges