In 2010 we asked visitors to our website to let us know about the first cuckoos they heard each spring. We weren’t sure whether anyone would get in touch as the usual method of reporting cuckoos is to pen a letter to The Times.
For the first couple of years we only received a few reports. These all tended to be from people living in the south west and occurred around the 14th April which is the traditional day to hear the first cuckoo of spring.
But over the years the number has increased and we now regularly receive 100s of reports annually. What has also happened is that the reports are submitted earlier and earlier. We receive many emails from people who say they have heard and seen cuckoos in January and February and we have even had a few claims made in the December of the previous year.
The earliest reliable record of a cuckoo spotted in the UK was at Farnham, Surrey on the 20th February 1953. If the submissions we receive are correct it would seem that in the past few years that record has been broken many times over.
In 2011 the BTO embarked on a cuckoo tracking project using solar-powered tags to track cuckoos on their long migrations to and from Africa. Although cuckoos had been ringed for almost a century prior to the kick-off of this project only 1 ringed cuckoo had ever been recovered.
On the 30th January 1930 a cuckoo ringed as a chick in Eton on the 23rd June 1928 was killed by a bow and arrow in Cameroon, West Africa. The hunter gave the ring to his wife to wear in her nose. A pastor at the local church realised what it was and reported the ring number to the British Museum.
But apart from that single tracked cuckoo, until 2011 we had no idea where cuckoos went for the winter.
The ground-breaking research by the BTO has found that cuckoos who return to the UK in spring spend the winter in the swamp forests of the Congo. They migrate mainly at night at high altitude, between 3 and 5 km above the ground. They cross the Sahara Desert in one continuous flight that can last up to 60 hours, until the 3rd night when they are able to rest for a short period and feed once more.
The BTO also found that cuckoos take two different routes to Africa after breeding in the UK. English cuckoos tend to fly southwest via Spain and Morocco, whilst Welsh and Scottish cuckoos fly southeast via Italy or the Balkans, before converging in the Congo basin.
Cuckoos taking the southwest route leave about eight days later than those taking the southeast route but unfortunately are less likely to survive the journey before completing the Sahara crossing, even though the route is more than 10% shorter.
Despite the challenges of the African environment, most of the deaths occur in Europe, Climate change, severe droughts, wildfires, and the decline of the hairy caterpillar, one of the cuckoo’s main sources of food are thought to be to blame. The fact that cuckoos still follow the southwest route, despite the difficulties they face, suggests that the conditions that lead to the increased mortality rate are relatively recent.
When cuckoos return to the UK in the spring they all follow a different route northwards but there is no difference in survival rates during that journey.
The BTO’s Breeding Bird Survey has found that there has been a drastic decline in the number of cuckoos in England over the last decade which correlates with the risky route cuckoos follow during their autumn migrations. However, there has also been a decline in the population in Wales and a slight increase in the population in Scotland which means it’s possible that there is another factor at play
Cuckoos are parasitic which means they lay their eggs in other birds’ nests. They time their migrations to arrive back at their breeding grounds when the host birds have just laid their eggs. The main host species in the UK are dunnocks, pied wagtails, reed warblers, and meadow pipits. Of these meadow pipits have suffered a population decline and climate change has caused the other species to start breeding earlier by about 5 or 6 days.
This means that when cuckoos arrive back in the UK there may be fewer available nests in which they can lay their eggs. More research is required to find out what impact this is having on the population.
Climate change and the dependence on pesticides is also thought to have had an impact on the number of caterpillars available. Host parents may struggle to find enough to feed their massive surrogate chicks so fewer cuckoos are surviving to adulthood.
All these factors mean that the cuckoo, a classic sight and sound of spring, is becoming rarer each year, with just 15,000 breeding pairs left in the UK. So it’s quite remarkable that so many people hear and see these elusive birds all though the winter.
When people write to us to let us know about cuckoos they have heard in the winter they often cite mild weather as the reason they have returned so early. But as far as we know the cuckoos in Africa would have no way of knowing the current temperature in the UK. And if for some reason they could, bear in mind that cuckoos can take 2 or 3 months to complete their marathon migrations. If a cuckoo arrived in the UK in January it would have had to have left Africa in October or November.
Cuckoos only leave the UK in July or August so if you do the maths it is clear they would have had to have made a super-speedy turn around which wouldn’t have given them enough time to rest and get the much needed energy they need for the arduous journey back to their breeding grounds. They would then need to hang around in the UK for several weeks before they could breed with no access to caterpillars all the while wasting valuable energy keeping warm.
The other explanation is that they didn’t migrate at all and spent the winter here.
This seems unlikely as cuckoos are African birds who only make brief visits to the UK. In fact they spend just 15% of their time in the UK and nearly 50% of their time in Africa. The rest of the time is spend on migration.
If it is the case that they forgot to go home each year, and manage to survive the winter with virtually no food sources, then we would expect to get cuckoo reports throughout the latter months of the year, and so far we haven’t had a single one.
Of the 100s of reports we have received only two have been accompanied by photographic evidence.
But these birds are clearly not cuckoos.
So, if you’re heard a cuckoo call early in the year it’s most likely to have been a collared dove. Starlings are also very good mimics of cuckoos and they are a very obvious target for hoaxers either by vocal imitation or using some sort of electronic device.
The only way the record is going to be officially accepted is with visual confirmation.
35 Responses
You may believe this or not but I heard a Cuckoo on 10/03/2025 approx 3.30.pm.in Hornchurch Brettons Farm park in woodland. A warm sunny day and it called several times also heard a woodpecker. You do not seem to believe peoples reports so what should we do shoot the bird to prove it..
Heard the first cuckoo today
Very late as normally first or second week in May at the latest
It was in Guisborough woods behind my house
Thought I heard a cuckoo Tuesday – now confirmed – as I heard it closer this morning in Kenilworth Warwickshire around 1015am…
Not heard one for nigh on 85 years when as a kid I lied in Peterston Super Ely, Glamorgan
Heard a cuckoo this morning (15 Feb 2024) East Devon.
Cuckoo calling at Haigh Hall Wigan today 23 March 2023 ….I reckon thats pretty early for Lancashire
Pretty sure I heard at 5.30 this morning in Norfolk.
Not heard it since!
We heard a cuckoo in the garden on Wednesday 15th February. I wasn’t sure if it was as the call was somewhat indistinct and there was a lot of pigeon and collared dove noise at the time. I then heard it again the following day, this time the call was much more distinct. Subsequently it has been heard but not seen on several occasions since. We get them in our garden every year and last year I believe one laid an egg in a convenient nest, in a dovecot. We are in Lincolnshire.
I heard a cuckoo this afternoon in the distance. It was warm and sunny. It seemed to be in the Telegraph Hill area of Claygate.
Cuckoo returned early is unlikely. Stayed here unlikely in view of the harsh winter.
As confused as the cuckoo!!
Hi Peter, I also heard a cuckoo on the 9th February in the West Midlands. Definitely not a collared dove.
Saw 3 cuckoo birds today! Got my binoculars for a closer look and there at the top of the same tree 3. No doubt out it. Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales.uk.
I have a report from Turriff (Aberdeenshire) of a visual sighting, no call, and sadly no photo. Only four days ago and pretty competent birdwatchers.
I thought I saw a Sparrow Hawke today in Lincolnshire, but as it flew away I realised it wasn’t. I thought it was definitely a Cuckoo. I have since researched Cuckoos and they are not normally in the UK until April, and they are similar looking to Sparrow Hawks. It is January 23rd and it wasn’t a hawk, so it must have been a Cuckoo.
I live in rural Herefordshire and am sure I heard a cuckoo this morning. I have read the article and know what a collared dove sounds like.
I think I saw a cuckoo in the fadden today. I’ve got a photo of it, but don’t know if I can post it on here. I’m not very good at identifying birds, so it would be nice to get the thoughts of others.
Did you ever get a response? I’m happy to ID if you’re still interested
Realise it is not the earliest recording but heard the cuckoo so clearly today in Hampton Hill (Burton’s Road). Such a long time since I last heard one.
Heard cuckoo at Offord Suffolk on Saturday 16th April
Heard a very loud cuckoo this morning whilst in bed 22nd March. Sorry can’t back this up with a sighting. We are in Woodley Berkshire. Far too loud for a starling and definitely not a wood pigeon. Must have flown in early with this nice weather we are having or the red Sahara dust that came over last week.
I live on the edge of a small town in West Lancashire, and heard a cuckoo just before. It was very distinct, and 100% not a collard dove, there was no ‘cuckoo coo’ ending like the doves. I live near an industrial estate which is in a wooded area with ponds and streams.
Heard and saw a cuckoo along the banks of the Kennet & Avon canal today. Sadly, no camera.
Fairly certain I saw a cuckoo in flight this morning April 7th llive in Huntingdonshire Am a farmer so am reasonably sure of my bird identification.
I’ll keep an ear out for it’s song
Definitley heard our first Couckoo 8th March 2021. They arrive every year but this is earlier than usual for sure.
Both my wife and I heard it at the same time and commented.
There has been a lot of nest building starting this month too for the birds in out garden. Blue Tits,, Robin and Collared Doves.
Barling Magna, Southend-on-Sea.
My wife and I heard a cuckoo on 02 March 2021 in Littleworth, West Sussex and I heard it again yesterday 04 March around 500 metres away. We also have many collared doves in our area but the call was distinct, if this was a dove it should get an oscar for impersonation.
Heard a Cuckoo this morning 7.30am whilst waiting for the railway barriers too go up at Westergate A29 8th Feb2022 could not believe it.
I live rurally in North Yorkshire.
Today I heard my first Cuckoo of 2021. I realise it’s extremely early but my ears were not deceiving me. We have woods either side of us, I’m presuming the cuckoo’s are residing in one of these, along with the Buzzards, Red Kites, Woodpeckers and Jays.
Did you read the article ? Cuckoos don’t come to England in January.
Unfortunately I do not have any physical evidence of this but today ( Sunday 24th January 2021) we heard a cuckoo while out in fields near to where we live in Alton, Hampshire. I have heard cuckoos plenty of times before so there was no mistake what it was but I have never heard one at this time of year.
Before this, the last time we heard and saw a cuckoo was last Summer in the New Forest.
Someone just jumped straight to the comments!!!!! /read the article Georgina – it’s just not possible what you heard was a cuckoo..
We heard a cuckoo calling for about five minutes in Hampton Hill, suburban south west London, yesterday (May 17th).
Haven’t heard one for 20 years – it is much quieter without planes and traffic.