SongLark
Bird call
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) call
The famous 'cuck-oo', repeated over and over in spring; a grey, hawk-like summer visitor.
Listen to the Common Cuckoo call
A field recording of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) by Stuart Fisher, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the Common Cuckoo in farmland and woodland habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the Common Cuckoo
These birds belong to the cuckoo family, like the Common Cuckoo, so their calls can sound alike.
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Pacific Koel Eudynamys orientalis
Persistent, rising 'koo-el' heard through summer nights.
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Channel-billed Cuckoo Scythrops novaehollandiae
Loud, raucous 'awk awk' given in flight.
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Shining Cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus
Maori: pipiwharauroa. Repeated upward-slurred whistles through spring and summer.
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Long-tailed Cuckoo Urodynamis taitensis
Maori: koekoea. A harsh screeching zzwheesht, often heard at night in summer.
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Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus
The rising 'ko-EL, ko-EL' that carries across town at dawn.
Questions
Questions about the Common Cuckoo
What does the Common Cuckoo sound like?
The famous 'cuck-oo', repeated over and over in spring; a grey, hawk-like summer visitor. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the Common Cuckoo?
Pacific Koel, Channel-billed Cuckoo, Shining Cuckoo, Long-tailed Cuckoo and Asian Koel sound similar.
Where can I hear the Common Cuckoo?
SongLark teaches it in its Birds of England course.
How can I learn the Common Cuckoo call?
In SongLark's Birds of England course, it comes in Level 4: Spring Migrants. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the Common Cuckoo in its Birds of England course. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
- In Birds of England, the Common Cuckoo comes in Level 4: Spring Migrants. That Level is about summer visitors back from Africa.
Learn it with these birds in Level 4 of Birds of England
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Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
A rich, fluty warble that starts with a scratchy chatter and rises to a clear, loud finish.
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Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Says its name: a steady, uneven 'chiff-chaff-chiff-chiff-chaff', one of the first songs of spring.
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Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
A sweet, wistful cascade of notes that slides down the scale and fades away.
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Common Whitethroat Curruca communis
A brief, scratchy, hurried warble, often given in a short song flight above a hedge.
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Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
A cheerful, twittering warble with a dry rattle; long tail streamers over farms and fields.
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Common Swift Apus apus
Shrill, screaming parties racing around rooftops on summer evenings.
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Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
A fast, excited jumble of chattering, harsh notes and mimicry, varied and never repeated.
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Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
A steady, rhythmic chatter, 'chirruc-chirruc-jit-jit', from deep inside reedbeds.
Get SongLark
Learn Common Cuckoo in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the Common Cuckoo.
- Your first course is free. When you first sign in, you choose one course to keep.
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- One account, every device. Your progress syncs between devices.