CUCKOO
			Phylum: Class: Order: Family: Species: Chordata Aves Cuculiformes Cuculidae Cuculus canorus (common)

The cuckoo family gets its name from the distinctive two-note call of the male common cuckoo. No other species in the family utters it. the common cuckoo ranges across Europe, Asia and America, and all its members are birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.

The Old World cuckoo has distinctive black-and-white barring on its underside, which makes it resemble the sparrow hawk. This may help the cuckoo to frighten away birds from their nests when they wish to lay eggs. Two common kinds of North American birds are the black-billed cuckoo and the yellow-billed cuckoo. They both have white breasts, and mainly eat insects, worms, spiders and centipedes.

Old World cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. The foster parents instinctively feed the young cuckoo when it hatches, even though it pushes any other eggs and chicks out of the nest.