The first recorded sighting of a common cuckoo in New York recently created a stir in the birding community.
What's happening?
As reported by CBS News, a golfer spotted the cuckoo in Riverhead, Long Island, in late October. This bird became one of just a handful of its species to have been observed in the lower 48 states. As a result, it sparked an influx of excited bird watchers to the Long Island area in hopes of seeing the cuckoo in person.
While golfing at the Vineyards Golf and Country Club in Riverhead, Roy William Gardner happened to spot an "unusual bird" in between holes, per CBS News. He then snapped a pic and sent it to his nephew, an ornithologist and bird biologist at UCLA, who confirmed that the bird was a common cuckoo.
News of the cuckoo sighting quickly circulated in the birding community, prompting crowds to make their way to New York. Within a short amount of time, there were more than 200 reported sightings of the cuckoo.
"We started a crazy viral birder insanity," Gardner said in the news report.
Why is the sighting of the common cuckoo in Long Island important?
According to Gardner, his nephew confirmed that spotting the cuckoo in this part of the world can be a special occasion for many birders: "He said, 'what you have there is called a lifer.' He goes, 'people go their whole lifetime and not see this,'" the golfer reported per CBS News.
The common cuckoo is normally found throughout Europe and Asia, with Africa being its preferred location in the winter months. Its rare appearance in the continental U.S. has raised questions among bird experts, with some speculating that the bird could have been blown off course by a nor'easter in October.
Eric Snitil, chief meteorologist at WROC in Rochester, New York, noted the potential impact of the powerful storm system. In an Oct. 13 Facebook post, Snitil revealed that millions of migrating birds could be affected.
"Our departing nor'easter is likely to influence tonight's bird migration numbers. Northerly flow on the west side of the low will be quite favorable for another night of big numbers," Snitil wrote in the post.
What's happening following the recent sighting of the cuckoo?
There is no current indication that the common cuckoo will make a home in Long Island or any other Lower 48 area. This may be a good thing, as the species is known for "brood parasitism" that could harm native birds by forcing host birds to raise the cuckoo's young instead of their own.
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Definitely 👍 According to a study published in the Journal of Field Ornithology, researchers raised concerns that birds in Alaska had no effective methods to prevent the spread of the common cuckoo.
Meanwhile, birds are sometimes blown off course by storms, which can be a concern for those lost birds even as they provide exciting appearances. Of broader concern is that bird populations are shrinking — with nearly 3 billion lost since 1970, according to one major study.
Bird migration routes and habitats are being shifted and affected by various factors, one of which is disruption due to global temperature increases.
People can work to reduce some of those effects by staying aware of climate issues, taking steps to reduce air pollution that heats the planet, and working locally to maintain habitats and a cleaner environment.
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