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House martins acting aggressive towards cuckoo?

  • 14-06-2015 6:15pm
    #1
    lazybones32
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,647 ✭✭✭


    While working last week, I heard a cuckoo in a hedge nearby. It flew to a different hedge which was about 20 metres from a house which has house martin's nesting. The HM started acting aggressive towards the cuckoo and chased it away; it was a deliberate effort and the HM was relentless in chasing the cuckoo away.
    The cuckoo is a lot bigger than the HM and the HM's nest could be of no use to the cuckoo, so can anyone give an idea of why the HM was so aggressive?

    I was working in the same place a few evenings ago and the cuckoo is still around and the HM's are still there. Are other birds as territorial toward the cuckoo (for obvious reasons)?


Comments

  • #2
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    I'd hazard a guess that it would be because of the cuckoo's resemblance to the sparrow hawk.

    Cuckoo on the left, sparrowhawk on the right.

    _52194724_cuckoo_hawk_compound.jpg


  • #3
    lazybones32
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,647 ✭✭✭lazybones32


    Interesting...I've seen swallows 'gang up' on a sparrow hawk to chase it away before but I've never seen a single HM be so brave.


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