I usually don’t find green birds very exciting, as they are often meant to camouflage and not standout. However, every now and then, I come across a green or mostly green bird that catches my attention and proves me wrong. The African emerald cuckoo is a perfect example of this.
Check out these fascinating creatures with their striking yellow bellies and shimmering emerald bodies, as seen on Instagram by user @craigm2931. Despite their eye-catching appearance, these cuckoos are experts at evading predators and camera lenses alike. They thrive in the lush environments of wet forests and are native to Western and Sub-Saharan Africa.
On Instagram, the user @jannes_birdlife shares sightings of cuckoos, which may sometimes venture into cities but remain elusive. The only way to locate them is by their unique four-note call. One interesting fact about cuckoos is that they do not raise their own offspring.
On Instagram, user @ana_verahrami shared an interesting fact about a certain species of bird. Apparently, these birds don’t bother building their own nests, but instead keep an eye out for nests constructed by other local birds such as yellow-whiskered bulbuls, bee eaters, olive bush shrikes, and puffback shrikes. If they find a nest that they like, they simply steal it and discard any eggs that belonged to the original owners.
Anthusbirding’s Instagram account shares an interesting fact about cuckoo birds. The female cuckoo lays her eggs in another bird’s nest and leaves them for the other mama bird to incubate. It’s not a nice thing to do, and it gets worse. When the cuckoo babies hatch, they push other species’ chicks out of the nest. Despite their rude behavior, cuckoo birds are still admired for their beauty.