But few have the linguistic range of the cuckoo.
The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Ed Cara, Gizmodo:This is the second book youve written about a specific animal, following 2021sCrab.
The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus).© Piotr Krzeslak via Getty
What made you want to take a closer look at the cuckoo in particular?
Chris:The two books came from very different starting points.
I had been followingReaktions Animal seriesfor a long time, and wanted very much to write for it.
And I thought: what fascinating creatures!
Who are they, what are their lives like?
He asked me to submit a proposal, which was accepted, andCrabwas published in 2021.
Wed be better off being curious about animal life than moralistic about it.
One of them was Cuckoo.
Their arrival has long been heralded as a welcome sign of Spring.
Climate change is making their migrations more difficult.
Common cuckoos are obligate brood parasites.
The host birds will incubate the egg as if it were their own.
Eventually, of course, it leaves the nest and goes on to live its cuckoo life.
Gizmodo:What are your own thoughts on the cuckoos horror-inspiring breeding strategy?
Wed be better off being curious about animal life than moralistic about it.
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Gizmodo:How are the birds themselves doing?
Chris:Its complicated.
Ten years ago, the U.S. Gizmodo:Is there anything else that you would want to tell prospective readers?
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But it doesn’t have to be, some researchers argue.
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