FAR from completely abandoning their offspring in the nests of other birds,
cuckoos return to teach them that they are not 鈥渦gly ducklings鈥�.
Most birds learn to recognise their own species by identifying with their
siblings or parents. This ability was thought to be innate in cuckoos, but
brothers Manuel and Juan Jos茅 Soler of the University of Granada in Spain
found that great spotted cuckoo chicks (Clamator glandarius) raised
alone in magpie nests could not recognise each other (Animal Cognition,
vol 2, p 97).
The brothers鈥� field observations also showed that adult cuckoos often visited
nests and maintained vocal contact with fledglings. 鈥淪pecies recognition in this
cuckoo is not innate,鈥� says Manuel.
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