Common Cuckoo vs Mourning Dove

Common Cuckoo

Cuculus canorus

How to recognise a common cuckoo?

Common Cuckoo Identification Guide

The Common Cuckoo is a medium-sized bird recognized for its distinct appearance. This bird's general coloration is predominantly gray with a slightly bluish tinge on the back and wings. Its underparts are light colored with distinctive dark barring, giving the lower body a striped appearance. The cuckoo's long tail, edged with white and tipped with a fine barring pattern, is another striking feature that aids identification. Its slender body and pointed wings support strong flight capability, and the bird's posture often appears streamlined and graceful. Both males and females of the Common Cuckoo species are quite similar in appearance, making it difficult to tell them apart at a glance. However, females sometimes display a rufous morph, where the plumage takes on a more reddish-brown hue rather than the typical bluish gray. During the breeding season, discerning between the two sexes may be slightly easier due to subtle behavioral differences rather than distinct physical characteristics. Juvenile Common Cuckoos differ distinctly from adults, featuring a much browner overall plumage with pale fringed feathers and a buff eyebrow stripe above their eyes. This plumage provides better camouflage and protection from predators, fading as they mature to the adult coloration.

Size

12.6 - 13.4 in/3.9 - 4.6 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

The Common Cuckoo typically inhabits open woodland, heathlands, and meadows across Europe and Asia. It thrives in areas with a mix of trees and open spaces, where it can easily spot potential host nests for laying its eggs. The cuckoo migrates to Africa for the winter, favoring temperate climates.

Additional range

While primarily found in temperate zones, the Common Cuckoo is highly adaptable and may also occupy scrublands, marshes, and even urban parks. During migration, it can be observed in arid environments, showcasing its adaptability to varied climates and habitats.

Range Map

What do common cuckoos like to eat?

Natural Diet

The Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) primarily feeds on insects, making it an insectivore by nature. Its diet mainly consists of caterpillars, beetles, and other small invertebrates, which it actively hunts among foliage and branches. Depending on the season, the cuckoo's diet might slightly shift, with caterpillar abundance being a significant factor during the breeding season in spring and early summer, when these insects are plentiful. Occasionally, it may consume fruits and seeds if insects are scarce, but this is not its primary dietary preference.

Bird Feeders

While the Common Cuckoo is not a frequent visitor to bird feeders due to its preference for live prey, it might occasionally explore feeders when food is scarce in its natural habitat. Its presence at a feeder is generally rare, so feeding strategies at home are unlikely to attract this bird specifically. However, in rare instances, it might sample a suet block or a seed mix containing insects or insect-flavored components. Bird feeders designed to attract a variety of insectivorous birds may, by chance, accommodate a cuckoo, though it does not rely on such human-provided food sources for sustenance.

What does a common cuckoo sound like?

The Common Cuckoo is known for its distinctive vocalizations, primarily the repetitive two-note "cu-coo" call, often used by males during the breeding season to attract females and establish territory. Females produce a bubbling, chuckling sound when interacting with males or when near a nest. Juveniles also emit a rapid, harsh begging call when soliciting food from host parents. The male’s call is typically loud and carries over long distances, making it unmistakable in its range, primarily woodlands, open forests, and farmland across Europe and Asia.

Song

Audio by Benoît Van Hecke

/ CC BY-SA 4.0

Song

Audio by Benoît Van Hecke

/ CC BY-SA 4.0

There's more to learn about Common Cuckoo

View full details

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

Also known as: American Mourning Dove, Rain Dove, Turtle Dove, Carolina Pigeon, Carolina Turtledove

How to recognise a mourning dove?

General appearance

The mourning dove is roughly the size of a crow, bearing characteristics of a long, pointed tail which is about 12', or 30 cm long. This tail displays white spots along its edge while in flight. The bird’s wings are adorned with black spots and its overall coloration exhibits hues of black, brown, gray, pink, tan, and white. The dove has a pointed, wedge-shaped tail.

Male vs female

The sexes of mourning doves can be distinguished by their coloration. Adult males generally have a pinkish tinge on their chests and a blue-gray tone on their crowns. However, the female doves are more dull and plain, predominantly appearing in a shade of brown.

Juvenile

Young mourning doves have a unique scaly appearance that can lead them to be confused with the Inca Dove or the Common Ground Dove. They do not possess the vivid coloring of the adults and generally appear more muted in color.

Size

9.1 - 13.4 in/3.0 - 6.0 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

The mourning dove primarily inhabits open and semi-open locations in temperate parts of North America. This includes farms, towns, open woods, roadsides, and grasslands.

Additional range

It is prevalent in places with both trees and open ground, known as edge habitats, and occasionally in treeless areas. Unexpectedly, it also frequents suburban areas, farmland, prairies, and deserts, while avoiding unbroken forests.

Range Map

What do mourning doves like to eat?

Natural diet

The mourning dove predominantly consumes seeds, which constitute 99% of its diet. It shows a preference for seeds from cultivated grains, grasses, ragweeds, and various other plants. Occasionally, its natural diet includes snails and very rarely any insects.

Bird feeders

At bird feeders, mourning doves enjoy seeds commonly provided, such as millet and cracked corn. Their preference aligns with the availability of cultivated grain and grass seeds often found in birdseed mixes.

What does a mourning dove sound like?

The mourning dove's vocalizations are characterized by its low, mournful coo-ah followed by three coos. This unique call pattern is projected in a falling, flat, yet undulating manner. Despite its melancholic tone, the dove's hoot type call is nonetheless captivating and distinct, reinforcing its colloquial name.

Call

Audio by Francis C, Ortega C, Cruz A

/ CC BY-SA 2.5

Song

Audio by Gabriel Leite

/ CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

There's more to learn about Mourning Dove

View full details

Common Cuckoo

Tap To compare

Mourning Dove

Common Cuckoo

Cuculus canorus

Common Cuckoo Identification Guide

The Common Cuckoo is a medium-sized bird recognized for its distinct appearance. This bird's general coloration is predominantly gray with a slightly bluish tinge on the back and wings. Its underparts are light colored with distinctive dark barring, giving the lower body a striped appearance. The cuckoo's long tail, edged with white and tipped with a fine barring pattern, is another striking feature that aids identification. Its slender body and pointed wings support strong flight capability, and the bird's posture often appears streamlined and graceful. Both males and females of the Common Cuckoo species are quite similar in appearance, making it difficult to tell them apart at a glance. However, females sometimes display a rufous morph, where the plumage takes on a more reddish-brown hue rather than the typical bluish gray. During the breeding season, discerning between the two sexes may be slightly easier due to subtle behavioral differences rather than distinct physical characteristics. Juvenile Common Cuckoos differ distinctly from adults, featuring a much browner overall plumage with pale fringed feathers and a buff eyebrow stripe above their eyes. This plumage provides better camouflage and protection from predators, fading as they mature to the adult coloration.

Size

12.6 - 13.4 in/3.9 - 4.6 oz

There's more to learn about Common Cuckoo

View full details

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

Also known as: American Mourning Dove, Rain Dove, Turtle Dove, Carolina Pigeon, Carolina Turtledove

General appearance

The mourning dove is roughly the size of a crow, bearing characteristics of a long, pointed tail which is about 12', or 30 cm long. This tail displays white spots along its edge while in flight. The bird’s wings are adorned with black spots and its overall coloration exhibits hues of black, brown, gray, pink, tan, and white. The dove has a pointed, wedge-shaped tail.

Male vs female

The sexes of mourning doves can be distinguished by their coloration. Adult males generally have a pinkish tinge on their chests and a blue-gray tone on their crowns. However, the female doves are more dull and plain, predominantly appearing in a shade of brown.

Juvenile

Young mourning doves have a unique scaly appearance that can lead them to be confused with the Inca Dove or the Common Ground Dove. They do not possess the vivid coloring of the adults and generally appear more muted in color.

Size

9.1 - 13.4 in/3.0 - 6.0 oz

There's more to learn about Mourning Dove

View full details

How to tell the Common Cuckoo from the Mourning Dove

Visual differences

The Common Cuckoo and Mourning Dove differ visually in several ways. The Common Cuckoo measures 12.6-13.4 inches long with gray plumage, resembling a sparrowhawk. Its beak is long and slender. Conversely, the Mourning Dove ranges from 9.1 to 13.4 inches, displays a mix of black, brown, gray, and pink tones, and features a long, pointed wedge-shaped tail with white edges. Its beak is short and slim. The dove's body is generally chunkier compared to the sleek appearance of the cuckoo.

Key differences and behavior

The Common Cuckoo and the Mourning Dove exhibit distinct behaviors and ecological preferences. The Cuckoo, known for its "cuck-oo" call, practices brood parasitism, laying its eggs in other birds' nests, while the Dove builds its own flimsy nest in trees or shrubs, often in open habitats. Cuckoos are insectivores, primarily feeding on caterpillars and beetles, whereas Mourning Doves mainly consume seeds, storing massive quantities in their crop. The Cuckoo inhabits open woodlands and migrates to Africa in winter, in contrast to the Dove's preference for temperate North American open and semi-open areas. The Cuckoo male attracts mates with calls and displays, but shows no parental care, whereas Dove pairs share nesting duties and feed chicks with "crop milk." Both species exhibit different migratory and feeding behaviors reflective of their ecological niches.