http___www.springalive.net_ga-ie_springalive_cuach_1.xml
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Cuckoos are dove-sized birds with ash-grey upperparts and dark-barred white bellies. They are very hard to spot; if you do manage to see one, it will probably appear just as a dark, streamlined shape flying quite fast across fields, often between areas of woodland. They are much easier to hear, however: a male Cuckoo sings ‘cuck-oo, cuck-oo’ to announce his presence, sounding just like a Cuckoo-clock! Cuckoos have been declining in Ireland, and they are less common now than they were a few decades ago. Cuckoos are found in all types of terrain, in woodland and in open country right up to mountain slopes. The most interesting thing about the Cuckoo is that it does not make its own nest: the female lays her eggs in the nest of other birds. Young Cuckoos hatch before their foster parents' own eggs, and once the Cuckoo chick has hatched it pushes out the rest of the eggs. What do they eat? Insects – mostly caterpillars and beetles. The Cuckoo does not specialize in particular species of prey, but catches the insects which are most numerous in its local area, and therefore easiest to find and catch. Cuckoos' nests Instead of building their own nest, Cuckoos use the nests of ‘host’ birds, such as Dunnocks and Meadow Pipits. When a female Cuckoo finds a suitable nest, and the other birds aren’t looking, she removes one of their eggs and lays her own egg in its place. Sometimes these nests are built by birds that are much smaller than the Cuckoo chick. The ‘parent’ birds must work even harder to feed their giant baby, mistaking it for their own. Wintering sites Cuckoos which nest in Europe spend the winter in Africa, usually on savannas. Some birds from the western part of Asia also winter in Europe, others in Asia, up to New Guinea in the Pacific. The population of Cuckoos in Europe In Europe the population of Cuckoos is quite large and stable, although the size of the Western European population has dropped in recent times, most notably in France.
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Éan cosúil leis an Colmán í an Chuach, le ceann agus droim ar liath na luatha agus bolg bán le línte dorcha. Níl sé éasca iad a fheiceáil; má fheiceann tú cheann, is cosúil le cruth dorcha, sruthlíneach ag eitilt go tapaidh transa na páirce í don chuid is mó, idir limistéir faoi chrainn go minic. Tá sé i bhfad níos éasca iad a chloisint, áfach: canann an Chuach fireann ‘cuck-oo, cuck-oo’ chun a chur in iúl go bhuil sé sa réigiún, an glór céanna a dhéanann clog cuaiche! Tá laghdú tagtha ar an méid Cuach in Éirinn, agus níl siad le feiceáil chomh minic is a bhí siad fiche nó tríocha bliana ó shin. Tá an Chuach le feiceáil i ngach saghas tír-raoin, i limistéir faoi chrainn agus i limistéir oscailte, chomh maith le fánaí sléibhe. 'Sé an rud is suimiúil faoin Chuach ná go n-úsáideann sí neadacha éan eile: cuireann an t-éan baineann a huibheacha i neadacha éan eile. Tagann na Cuacha as an ubh roimh éiníní beaga na tuismitheoirí altramais. Chomh luath is a thagann an sicín Cuaiche as an ubh, caitheann sé na huibheacha eile as an nead. Cad a itheann siad? Feithidí – bratóga agus ciaróga don chuid is mó. Ní itheann an Chuach aon speiceas speisialta, ach gabhann sí na feithidí is mó atá ar fáil ina limistéar áitiúil, na feithidí atá an-éasca a aimsiú agus a ghabháil. Neadacha na Cuach Ní dhéanann an Chuach a nead féin a thógáil, ach úsáideann siad neadacha éan eile, mar shampla an Donnóg agus an Riabhóg mhóna. Nuair a fheiceann Cuach bhaineann nead oiriúnach, caitheann sí uibheacha an éin eile amach as an nead agus an t-éan eile imithe ón nead agus cuireann sá a ubh féin sa nead. Uaireanta, baineann na neadacha seo le héin atá i bhfad níos lú ná an sicín Cuaiche. Bíonn ar na héin ‘tuismitheora’ níos mó obair a dhéanamh chun bia a fháil don sicín ábhalmhór, mar cheapann siad gurbh é a sicín féin atá ann. Suímh geimhrithe Na Cuacha, a thógálann a neadacha san Eoraip, geimhríonn siad san Afraic, ar na sabhánaí de ghnáth. Ina theannta sin, geimhríonn roinnt de na héin a thagann ó iarthar na Áise san Eoraip, roinnt eile san Áise, suas go dtí an Nua-Ghuine san tAigéan Ciúin. Líon na Cuach san Eoraip Is speiceas láidir í an Chuach agus tá líon na Cuaiche cobhsaí go leor ann san Eoraip faoi láthair, cé go bhfuil laghdú tagtha ar an méid Cuach in Iarthar na hEorpa le déanaí anuas, go háirithe sa Fhrainc.