The riddle of the cuckoo

by K.G.H. Munidasa

A nature lover in the Uda Walawa area, who has a keen eye for birds, has seen a sight that no other bird-watcher, or for that matter any ornithologist has ever seen. He has seen a pied Crested Cuckoo feeding a young of his fosterer - the Ceylon common Babbler.

On a previous weekend during a ramble in the tree scrub on the outskirts of the town, some movement in a tree drew his attention. When he walked over to investigate he found two birds sitting side by side on a branch there, 10 feet from the ground. One was a pied Crested cuckoo, another a common Babbler.

Demanding foods

The babbler with its gape wide open was demanding foods from the cuckoo which promptly stretched out its neck and placed some morsel in the baby's mouth.

This was very instantaneous and short-lived; for on seeing the intruder the cuckoo fled into the jungle followed by the babbler. After relating the story to me, the nature-lover posed the inevitable question - could such a thing ever happen?

With all my personal experience with the breeding of this resident cuckoo and consequent perusal all the published account on the subject. I am still unable to find a satisfactory solution to the riddle.

Throughout its range - mainly in the low country dry zone the pied crested cuckoo is known to victimise the Ceylon common Babbler or "seven sisters' in whose nest it lays its eggs. The youngest cuckoo is cared for by the foster parents until such time they are able to fend for themselves.

All true cuckoos in their breeding habits never look in to the needs of the young since their breeds are scattered being reared by various fosterers.

Difference

Yet, in the present instance couldn't it have been possible the cuckoo found its fosterer's "baby" while the parents were away foraging for food? Or on the other hand, one might like to ask could the cuckoo have been solicitous towards its own young after the foster parents had deserted it? Whatever it may be, the second theory is not correct because there seems to be a vast difference in appearance between the two species involved.

My informant was positive that what he saw was a common babbler, a garden bird in the area.

The young cuckoo's stratagem for survival is its wonderful exhibition of ingenuity and resourcefulness. When it is first hatched the young cuckoo is a harmless-looking little lump of black flesh. Nonetheless, it is gifted with an amazing physical prowess and mature instinct for an innocent chick.

Ceylon common babbler

On the second or the third day, although blind, it begins to take stock of the situation. If there are eggs or other nestlings in the nest, it knows by instinct that there is going to be future rivalry for food. Therefore, it proceeds to oust the other occupants of the nest forthwith.

If there are eggs it has to deal with, it takes one egg after the other upon its back and then rolls them over the side of the nest. With the young this operation becomes rather difficult and painstaking.

A British ornithologist who once watched a young of the English cuckoo ejecting a young sedge-warbler, twice its own size, from the nest recorded: "The cuckoo showed the most amazing powers of strength. It worked down in the nest until the companion was on its (cuckoo's) back, then, gripping the side of the nest with it feet., it slowly but surely raised the burden.

Having reached the extent of its stretching powers, it opened the small flesh arms (unfledged wings) and began to work them up and down.

It also jerked its body upwards with violent movements with the result that the warbler was flung ignominiously over the side of the nest.

Attention

Usually the young cuckoo grows fast since it monopolies the attention of foster parents. Once it is able to fly the parents follow it about attending to further needs of the young cuckoo. Here not only the foster parents but also other birds in the neighbourhood who are with their own broods sympathise with the young cuckoo and offer food they will be carrying for their own young.

Even otherwise, if they ever come across a baby cuckoo crying all alone on a branch they would go out of the way to bring a mouthful of food to appease its voracious appetite.

There is a record of a young cuckoo brought up by a pair of hedge-sparrows being fed in turn by five different species of birds.