Cuckoo Arthur is leading the pack, having headed into West Africa in good time. Since our last update in late January, he has continued west, sweeping across Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana, before finally making a stop in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) on a journey exceeding 2,200 km (1,367 miles)! 

His latest signal places him just on the outskirts of the city of Soubré, in the south-west of the country. Will Arthur continue at this pace and be the first of our tagged Cuckoos to tackle the Sahara? Watch this space! 

In the last week Joe has really made some progress. Of our tagged Cuckoos, he was one of the birds wintering furthest east, but has covered an impressive 1,200 km (745 miles) in recent days. Crossing Central African Republic from Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has made his way rapidly into central Cameroon. 

He is currently close to the Sanaga River on the eastern flank of the expansive Mbam Djerem National Park, considered the most biologically diverse protected area in Cameroon.  

After spending a couple of weeks around the Lac Télé Community Reserve in eastern Republic of the Congo, Sayaan has made further progress in recent days. 

At the beginning of February, he flew approximately 300 km (186 miles) into south-east Cameroon; he is currently within the vast Lobéké National Park, a designated Important Bird Area, home to more than 300 species.

In the last month, Frederic has been showing signs of getting a little restless. Having spent the past couple of months around Lake Mai-Ndombe in western Democratic Republic of the Congo, he set off north-west at the end of January, covering around 115 km (71 miles). 

He approached the border of The Republic of the Congo, and spent a couple of days on the eastern banks of the mighty Congo river before heading back to Lake Mai-Ndombe! In the last day or two, he has started moving slowly westwards once more. 

Cuckoo Jim has spent much of the non-breeding season in Gabon, where he still remains. Most of his time here has been spent in Ivindo National Park in the centre of the country, but in recent days he has moved 130 km (80 miles) to the north, and is now in the lush, virgin tropical forests of Minkébé National Park, Gabon’s largest park.   

Norman is the first of our tagged Cuckoos to make any significant movements in recent weeks. In the last few days he has covered around 1,200 km (745 miles), flying north from Angola, passing through Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon and on into southern Cameroon. 

He is currently on the western flanks of the Dja Faunal Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered one of Africa's most species-rich rainforests. 

Arthur has moved c320 km (200 miles) from eastern Gabon into northern Equatorial Guinea, just 8 km (5 miles) from the border with Cameroon. He is close to the Monte Temelon Natural Reserve, south of the small city of Micomeseng. The reserve is known for its primate populations, including Chimpanzees, Mandrills and a range of monkey species. 

Sayaan has moved from north-west Democratic Republic of the Congo into eastern Republic of the Congo, moving some 445 km (276 miles). The latest signal shows that he is in Lac Télé Community Reserve, which lies between the Sangha and Oubangui rivers. This vast reserve is home to one of the largest known densities of Western Gorillas in the world, and is considered to be the world’s largest swamp forest, largest Ramsar site, and second largest wetland.

As we head into December, we can expect our tagged Cuckoos to be fairly settled for the next few weeks. They should now be firmly in their ‘wintering’ grounds in the Congo basin, feasting on tropical insects, and trying to avoid getting eaten themselves – there are lots of predatory birds, mammals, and reptiles in that region!

Of the 11 tagged Cuckoos that left the UK in summer, we have continued to receive regular updates from nine. 

The furthest east of our birds are Joe and Sayaan, both of whom are in Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are currently just 12 km (7 miles) away from each other, in the dense rainforests to the north of the Busira River. 

Cleeve is deep in the Republic of the Congo, close to the Léfini Faunal Reserve. He is in the same area as Wingston, who has in recent days been less than 40 km (25 miles) away from him. 

Cuckoo Norman is the furthest south of our birds, and is the only tagged Cuckoo in Angola.

Furthest north we find Jim and Arthur, both in Gabon. Nearby is Ashok, less than 50 km (31 miles) to the south of Jim. Frederic has recently crossed the border of Republic of the Congo and headed east into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he is currently by the large freshwater Lake Mai-Ndombe.

Two birds, Cores and Wilfrid, made it across the Sahara but after some promising movements, we soon lost track of them. Cores’ signal stopped on 27 October, when he was in southern Chad, while we last heard from Wilfrid on 20 September as he moved toward Nigeria from Niger. It may be that these two ‘lost’ Cuckoos have reached the end of their lives, though the sensor data indicated possible battery charging issues so they could still be out there, alongside our other Cuckoos.

We may never know what happened to this pair, but we do know that each bird has provided us with remarkable information that has allowed us invaluable insights into the complex stories of Cuckoo migration. 

The remaining Cuckoos will likely remain in their wintering areas until February, when we will hope to see some movement as they prepare to commence their long flights back to Europe for the 2026 breeding season. For some of this Cuckoo cohort, it will be the first time that we get to follow their remarkable journeys north. 

We will, as always, keep an eye on the Cuckoos and as soon as we see signs that they’re starting to head back we will post updates and track their incredible progress once more!