Common cuckoo

The gowk, (Cuculus canorus) is a memmer o the cuckoo order o birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis an the coucals.

Gowk
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kinrick:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Cless:	Aves
Order:	Cuculiformes
Faimily:	Cuculidae
Genus:	Cuculus
Species:	C. canorus
Binomial name
Cuculus canorus Linnaeus, 1758

Cuculus canorus canorus + Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Cuculus canorus bangsi + Phoenicurus moussieri

This species is a widespread simmer migrant tae Europe an Asie, an winters in Africae. It is a brood parasite, which means it lays eggs in the nests o ither bird species, particularly o Dunnocks, Meadow Pipits, an Eurasian Reed Warblers.

Taxonomy

The gowk is a memmer o the cuckoo order o birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis an the coucals.^[1] The species' binomial name is derived frae the Latin cuculus (the cuckoo) an canorus (melodious; frae canere, meaning tae sing).^[2] In Inglis an ither leids, the gowk faimily gets its common name "cuckoo" an genus name bi onomatopoeia for the cry o the male gowk.^[3] The Ingliswird "cuckoo" comes frae the Auld French cucu an it first appears aboot 1240^[4] in the poem Sumer Is Icumen In - "Simmer haes come in / Loudly sing, Cuckoo!" in modren Inglis.

There are fower subspecies warldwide:^[5]

• C. c. canorus, the nominate subspecies, wis first describit bi Linnaeus in 1758. It occurs frae the Breetish Isles through Scandinavia, north Roushie an Siberie tae Japan in the east, an frae the Pyrenees through Turkey, Kazakhstan, Mongolie, northren Cheenae an Korea. It winters in Africae an sooth Asie.
• C. c. bakeri, first describit bi Hartert in 1912, breeds in wastren Cheenae tae the Himalayan fithills in northren Indie, Nepal, Myanmar, north-wast Thailand an soothren Cheenae. Durin winter it is foond in Assam, East Bengal an sooth-east Asie.
• C. c. bangsi wis first describit bi Oberholser in 1919 an breeds in Iberie, the Balearic Islands an north Africae, spendin winter in Africae.
• C. c. subtelephonus, first describit bi Zarudny in 1914, breeds in central Asie frae Turkestan tae soothren Mongolie. It migrates tae soothren Asie an Africae for winter.