Great Spotted Cuckoo
Clamator glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) (3, 1)
Photo © Phil Woollen - Bartinney Downs, Cornwall, 5 April 2009
STATUS
Western Palearctic and Afrotropic. Monotypic.
OVERVIEW
Records as per BOU (1971).
Spring overshoots occur during Mar to May, with autumn records being 7 (Jul), 8 (Aug), 2 (Sep) and 3 (Oct) between 1958-2018.
RECORDS
1). 1870 Northumberland Clintburn (Wark Forest), near Bellingham, first-year, shot, 5th August, now at Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
(E. S. Charlton, Field 3rd Sept., 1870: 214; Eds., Zoologist 1870: 2344; Hancock, 1874; J. T. T. Reed, Naturalist 12: 76; Howse, 1899; Bolam, 1912; Witherby, 1920-24; Galloway & Meek, 1978-83; BOURC (2005), Ibis 147: 246-250).
History Ernest Swinburne Charlton (1870) in The Field of 3rd Sept., Vol. XXXVI. p. 214, and in an Editorial (1870) in The Zoologist, 2nd series, Vol. V. p. 2344, quoting from The Field, says: 'I have the honour to forward you the announcement of a very rare bird (the Great Crested or Spotted Cuckoo) which was shot in Northumberland some weeks since. As it is the first specimen ever shot in Great Britain, the notice will be interesting to readers....It has only once occurred in Northern Europe, one specimen having been taken off the coast of Galway about Christmas, 1843.
The second occurrence, which we now record, was the capture of a young male bird of the year by W. Gilroy, gamekeeper to W. H. Charlton, Esq., of Hesleyside, near Chiltrim Farmhouse, on the North Tyne, Northumberland, on Aug. 5, 1870. Mr. W. Proctor, of Durham, at once identified the bird from the description sent him, and has since mounted it for Mr. Charlton.'
Harting (1872: 123) says: 'One near Chiltrim Farmhouse, North Tyne, 5th Aug. 1870. Further, in a footnote on the same page, he adds: 'This specimen was identified by Mr. W. Proctor, of Durham, who preserved it for Mr. W. H. Charlton.'
Hancock (1874: 27) says: 'A specimen of this extremely rare visitant was shot near Bellingham, North Tyne, August 5th, 1870, and was kindly presented to the Newcastle Museum, by W. H. Charlton, Esq., Hesleyside.'
J. T. T. Reed (1887) in the new series of The Naturalist, Vol. XIII. p. 76, under the heading 'Local Specimens of Rare Birds in the Museum at Newcastle-on-Tyne', says: 'Great Spotted Cuckoo. Near Bellingham, shot, 5th August, 1870. The only specimen captured in England.'
Howse (1899: 22) in his Index-Catalogue of the Birds in the Hancock Collection, says: 'Case 6. No. 1. Clintburn, near Bellingham, August 5th, 1870. Presented by W. H. Charlton, Esq., Hesleyside. Remark. - This is the only specimen recorded that has been killed in England to this date. J.H.'
Comment In a review of the species it was found to be still acceptable as the first for Britain (BOURC (2005) Ibis 147: 246-250).
2). 1896 Norfolk North Denes, Great Yarmouth, juvenile male, shot, 18th October, now at Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (Acc. No. 1954Z1.756).
(J. H. Gurney, Zoologist 1897: 135; Saunders, 1899; Patterson, 1905; Witherby, 1920-24; P. Lansdown, British Birds 88: 147; Taylor, Seago, Allard & Dorling, 1999; Dye, Fiszer & Allard, 2009; Watson, 2010).
History J. H. Gurney, jun. (1897) in The Zoologist, 4th series, Vol. I. p. 135, says: 'October 18th. A Greater Spotted Cuckoo, Coccystes glandarius, immature, with dark crown, rich buff chest, and very little crest, shot between Caister and Yarmouth golf-house. The bird (minus its tail, which was unfortunately scattered to the winds) was bought by Mr. E. C. Saunders, who forwarded the body. It was a male, with single-notched sternum, and with a simple projecting manubrium, very like our Common Cuckoo. The gizzard and oesophagus, which seemed very dilatable, contained fragments of black insects with yellow lines upon them, identified, after some trouble, by Messrs. R. McLachlan and C. O. Waterhouse as the larvae of Pygaera bucephala, the Buff-tip Moth.
This Cuckoo had probably come over the day before, when the wind was from the north, and most likely from the same place as the Macqueen's Bustard which was shot at Humber-mouth (also on the 18th), and perhaps from the Don or Volga. Or both of them may have come on the 16th, when there was wind amounting to a gale from the north-east, and this latter supposition is the more probable; while the Courser shot in Jersey on the 19th may have been of the party, in which case it is probably Cursorius bogulubovi, subspecies.'
Patterson (1905) says: 'A young male was shot on Caister Denes on October 18th, 1896. It had been feeding on the larvae of the Buff-tip Moth. This bird was preserved by Mr. E. C. Saunders and is now in the Connop collection.'
Riviere (1930) adds: 'It was killed by a gunner named Edmund on the North Denes, and that the Connop collection was incorporated with that of Mr. Lysaght, and the specimen is still there.'
Watson (2010) in detailing the W. R. Lysaght collection in the Birmingham Museum lists a juvenile male specimen from North Denes, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, obtained 18th October 1896, without further detail.
3). 1941 Norfolk Hickling Broad, juvenile or first-year, seen, 29th July.
(J. Vincent, British Birds 35: 130; P. Lansdown, British Birds 88: 147; Seago, 1977).
History Jim Vincent (1941) in British Birds, Vol. XXXV. p. 130, says: 'On 29th July 1941, at Hickling, Norfolk, I was in a hut at the edge of a black currant plantation around which there is an electric cable. It was raining steadily. My attention was drawn to a strange looking bird sitting on the cable. It was very erect and its long tail, light throat and breast, as well as the shape of its head made me anxious to see more of it. The bird flew down to the bushes, when it was more conspicuous still. After a few minutes it flew back to the cable much nearer the hut, about 40 yards away and faced me. When it turned its head I could see a conspicuous crest slightly raised. The bird again flew down to the bushes for fruit or caterpillars. Marking the spot I walked briskly towards it keeping two rows of bushes between me and the bird. I got within 8 or 10 yards of it, when it flew away from me keeping low. In general appearance the bird was brownish, with dark grey crown and nape, but its long tail edged with white and the spotted pattern of its wing gave it a pied appearance and somewhat the look of a Magpie Pica pica. I saw enough of the bird perching and in flight to realise that it could only be an adult of the Great Spotted Cuckoo.'
1950-57 RECORD
4). 1955 or 1956 Meirionnydd Plas Penhelig, Aberdovey, first-year or adult, male, found dead, 1st April, now at National Museum of Wales, Cardiff (Z.1956.107).
(W. M. Condry, Nature in Wales 2: 281; BOU, 1971; Jones, 1974; Saunders, 1991; P. Lansdown, British Birds 88: 147; Lovegrove, Williams & Williams, 1994; Pritchard, 2012).
History W. M. Condry (1956) in Nature in Wales, Vol. II. p. 281, published Summer 1956, says: 'Mer. One found dead in a wood at Aberdovey, on 1st April 1955. T.J.D. (This is the first Welsh record of this Cuckoo which normally summers no further north than Spain. Bird is preserved at National Museum of Wales. - Ed.).'
BOU (1971) and Saunders (1991: 96) state the year as 1955. Lovegrove, Williams & Williams (1994) state the year as 1956 without a correction as does Pritchard (2012) who also adds that it was found at Plas Penhelig.
NOT PROVEN
0). c. 1870 Gloucestershire Between Gloucester and Cheltenham, killed, undated.
(Mellersh, 1902).
[Swaine, 1982].
History Mellersh (1902) says: 'One killed between Gloucester and Cheltenham about 1870.'
Not accepted locally (Swaine 1982).
0). 1918 Sussex Crowhurst, male, obtained, 23rd May.
(Walpole-Bond, 1938).
[E. M. Nicholson & I. J. Ferguson-Lees, British Birds 55: 299-384 HR].
History Walpole-Bond (1938 (2): 199) recording the record in square brackets, says: 'Sussex has a specimen (now in the Church Street museum, Brighton, from the Crewe collection) labelled "Crowhurst, May 23rd, 1918". But this bird is considered unauthentic (Cat. B. Dyke Rd. Mus., B'ton, 5th ed. (1927), Introduction, p. xxii), and I cannot therefore presume to relieve it from bondage.'
Comment Hastings rarity. Not acceptable.
