A small brown bird known for laying its eggs in the nests of other birds. The King James Version lists the "cuckow" (cuckoo) in Leviticus 11:16 and Deuteronomy 14:15. This may refer to either the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) or the great spotted cuckoo (Clamator glandarius). The Berean Standard Bible and many modern translations use “gull” or “seagull” for the same Hebrew word.
The cuckoo is a brood parasite. This means it lays its eggs in another bird’s nest after pushing out one of the host bird’s eggs. The young cuckoo hatches before the host’s young and pushes the other young out of the nest. The host birds then raise the cuckoo chick as their own.
Cuckoo in the Bible
The cuckoo eats insects and is listed as an unclean bird in the Bible. Some think this means it was believed to be a predator or to eat dead animals. For that reason, some scholars believe the Hebrew word refers instead to a seagull or sea mew. Gulls, terns, and petrels are common on the coasts and lakes of the Holy Land.
Other scholars think the Hebrew word may refer to an owl, possibly the long-eared owl.