Cuckoo

The Cuckoo is a medium-sized bird (weighing between 4 and 5oz), typically grey or rufous in colour, with short legs and a long tail. Its head has some similarities to that of the Dove, while in flight it can resemble a falcon, at least to the untrained eye.

The Cuckoo is native to the Blessed Isle, and found there in abundance. It is a brood parasite, sneaking its eggs into he nests of other birds who then raise its chicks as their own. Cuckoo chicks often kill off their adopted siblings, either directly by pushing them from their nests or indirectly through consuming all the food and letting the other chicks starve. The Yellow-breasted Chat, Lazuli Bunting, and Tree Sparrow are common victims of the Cuckoo’s reproductive methods, along with other songbirds.

There is some dispute as to the merit of the bird... some elder monks within Immaculate Order decry its parasitism, positing that it comes from Waddling Feather, god of Cuckoos, abandoning his responsibilities and abusing his post for personal glory. Those who keep gardens for bird-viewing also sometimes call for purges to kill off the birds to protect the nests of rarer, more valued songbirds. Despite this antipathy from some quarters, the Cuckoo remains a seasonal symbol of Descending Fire within poetry and Dynastic Fashions.