There has been rather a bird deficit of late on this blog, so it is time for a couple of bird photos. The Ragtag Daily Prompt is host, so it seems only fitting that I feature a cuckoo in today’s post. Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, leaving the host to do all the hard work raising the young.
On a recent trip to Tidbinbilla (a nature reserve outside of Canberra), I spotted a couple of Fan-tailed Cuckoos. The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is an attractive little bird which lives in woodland and forests.
Host-species preferred by the Fan-tailed Cuckoo include other small woodland birds like flycatchers, fairy wrens, scrubwrens and thornbills, but it particularly likes to parasitise the nests of brown thornbills. Hmm, I wonder why? Perhaps because they look similar.
On the odd occasion, I might have thought about sending my own kids off to boarding school (more on that in an upcoming post). Lucky for me that I didn’t.
Kind Regards
Tracy
Reflections of An Untidy Mind 
Beautiful! I’m going to have to visit Tidbinbilla again!
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You will. 🙂
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Quite the striking tail. I’ve often wondered about the birds that have their offspring farmed out. I wonder if they go through an identity crisis?
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I’ve wondered that too. The adopted parents are very loving.
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So interesting!
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A bird deficit? We can’t have that! 😉 Such beautiful photos, Tracy, the blue in the background is almost iridescent. I don’t know why but I always found cuckoos rather clever. 😉 Although I would never do the same if I had kids.
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I think I lightened up the second photo, Sarah, hence the lovely blue. It was quite dark among the trees. I try not to think about the other eggs being ejected from the nest!
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Nice shots
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Thank; you. I appreciate your comment.
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Fan-tailed Cuckoos are lovely little birds. Great photos Tracy 😀
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Thank you, Brian. Hope you are staying cool. It is a bit hot here for the birds and the bees at the moment.
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Not too hot thankfully
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We have cuckoos here in Canada and they too lay their eggs by stealth in other bird’s nests.
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It seems like a good strategy, especially if eggs can be laid in multiple bird nests.
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Bird behaviour is quite amazing. Nice sharp photos
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Thank you, Pauline. Photoshop is a wondrous thing, especially when the birds are hiding in the branches.
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Great photos. Have you read Cuckoos, Cheating by Nature by Nick Davies? A great book explaining a lot about cuckoos and their lives, worldwide. Recommended.
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No, I haven’t Margaret. I will check it out. Thank you.
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Lovely photos Tracy. 😀
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Thank you, Su.
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Amazing photos, Tracy!
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Hello Irene, you’ve been catching up on my posts I see. 🙂 Hope you had a good break? Thanks for stopping by and glad you like my birds. Regards. Tracy.
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Yep, you were on a roll while I was away! I had a great time during my break, and also reading your posts last night, with a cup of tea.
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🙂 I’ve slowed down now. My internet is limited to my phone until tomorrow.
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Beautiful images Tracy, we can often hear cuckoo in the woods but rarely see them 🙂💖🐦 xxx
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We were so lucky to see it, Xenia. 🙂
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