Cuckoo babies hatch in the nests of other bird species then quickly, often brutally, make sure they're the only baby to get fed…

So how does a cuckoo know how to be a cuckoo?

Well… that is a ducking good question.

Featuring:

Cassandra Taylor, ANU.
Claire Taylor, Uni of Melbourne.

Production:

Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editing.

This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2022 and produced (mainly) on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.

Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

Murder birds: The cuckoo's killer instinct