Sometimes we are so disconnected from the natural world that we need good reminders of how helpful animals can be when they live around us. We are always concerned about getting rid of pests, so I love to use the Burgess Books to help bridge the gap and give us a better insight to how the natural order of the world works.
Kitty, the Catbird, helps Peter understand the usefulness of Cuckoo, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo in The Burgess Bird Book for Children:
“As a matter of fact, they are mighty useful birds, Farmer Brown ought to be tickled to death that Mr. and Mrs. Cuckoo have come back to the Old Orchard this year.”
“Why?” demanded Peter.
“Do you see that cobwebby nest with all those hairy caterpillars on it and around it up in that tree?” asked Kitty.
Peter replied that he did and that he had seen a great many nests just like it, and had noticed how the caterpillars ate all the leaves near them.
“I’ll venture to say that you won’t see very many leaves eaten around that nest,” replied Kitty. “Those are called tent-caterpillars, and they do an awful lot of damage. I can’t bear them myself because they are so hairy, and very few birds will touch them. But Cuckoo likes them. There he comes now; just watch him.”
Burgess, Thornton W. The Burgess Bird Book for Children, Living Book Press, 2021, p. 176-177.
Isn’t that cool!? Different species of birds who eat insects usually don’t like the same insects, and they can each help in their own way. We forget how important the ecosystems are around us, and we need to be mindful of the importance of insects for birds!
Cuckoo has a long spread of migration throughout the year, which you can see on Cornell Lab’s allaboutbirds.org. Check it out to see all of the places where he eats his insects.
Here is what we gathered about Cuckoo:
Until next time, keep making those connections! <3 Kate
For more find Burgess Bird Coloring & Writing Pages and The Burgess Birds in Detail.
The Living Book Press link above contains an affiliate link, so I may receive a small payment if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.