Great Spotted Cuckoo

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Olive groves (rare vagrant).
Diet: Caterpillars.
Best time to spot: Crested; long-tailed.

When to look

A rare visitor, not a resident. There is no dependable season, though most rarities are found during spring and autumn migration. More on the season in Rare birds in the UK.

How rare is it?

The Great Spotted Cuckoo sits in our Epic tier for the UK: a scarce visitor, recorded in small numbers in most years. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Black-billed CuckooEpic · Woodland (very rare vagrant)
• Black DuckEpic · Marshes (very rare vagrant)
• Daurian ShrikeEpic · Coastal scrub (rare vagrant)
• Eastern Yellow WagtailEpic · Marshes (very rare vagrant)
• Falcated DuckEpic · Lakes (very rare vagrant)
• Laughing GullEpic · Coast (rare vagrant)

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