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[Newsletter No.30] Fist-Ever Tracking of Summer Migratory Bird Cuculus piliocephalus

CBD-CHM Newsletter Vol. 30

Fist-Ever Tracking of Summer Migratory Bird Cuculus piliocephalus

The National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) of the Ministry of Environment has become the first in the world to identify the migratory route of the summer migratory bird Cuculus poliocephalus. This bird, which bred in South Korea during the summer of 2024, traveled to Mozambique, Africa for the winter and then returned to South Korea the following year by completing a round-trip of 27,340km.

Cuculus poliocephalus is known for its unique breeding behavior called 'brood parasitism'1) in which it lays its eggs in the nests of other bird species. It breeds in parts of East Asia, including South Korea, China, and Japan, and is commonly observed across South Korea from May.

Since 2010, NIBR has been conducting annual research to monitor the migratory routes of birds. The researchers tracked Cuculus poliocephalus individuals that arrived in South Korea in May 2024 and discovered that the birds traveled west across the Eurasian continent to overwinter in Africa and later returned to the same place.

In May 2024, two Cuculus poliocephalus individuals were equipped with GPS tracking devices in Jeju Island. By August and September, they began their westward migration, flying through China, India, and Sri Lanka. In early December, they crossed the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, eventually reaching the African continent by the end of the year.

One of them overwintered in Mozambique and began its return journey eastward in April 2025. Retracing its previous route in reverse, the bird was confirmed to arrive back in Jeju Island in early June. This is the first documented evidence of homing behavior in this species.

Notably, during its return journey this spring, the bird flew non-stop for six days across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, covering approximately 4,180km. This is the longest flight by any non-waterbirds.

1) A breeding strategy in which a bird lays its eggs in the nest of another individual, leaving the host to raise its young.

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