Help us track Cuckoos and watch the current cohort's epic migration on our Cuckoo migration map. Read the latest updates on how our cuckoos are managing their amazing migration from Britain and Ireland to Africa and back again.
Time, skill and support
Spend as much time as you like following each Cuckoo's migration and reading the updates about their movements.
No technical skills are required to support the Cuckoo Tracking project - just a love of Cuckoos.
Learn more on our Cuckoo BirdFacts page and how to identify them and their call in our Cuckoo ID video.
About the project
We’ve been satellite-tracking Cuckoos since 2011. We’ve learned lots of vital information, such as how the different migration routes are linked to declines, and some of the pressures Cuckoos face whilst on migration, but there is still much more to discover.
- We have been able to share our expertise around tracking Cuckoos with other international studies, such as the Beijing Cuckoo Project.
- Read more about our Cuckoo Tracking Project.
- Explore the Cuckoo BirdFacts page to learn more about this iconic species.
An important aspect of this project is how it helps us improve our understanding of why Cuckoos are in decline:
- Since 1995, the number of Cuckoos has decreased by over 30%.
- The Cuckoo is currently Red-listed as a Bird of Conservation Concern in the UK.
What’s next
We now need to look more closely at how dependent Cuckoos are on, and how much their migration is linked to, the drought-busting rains of the weather frontal system known as the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) as they move out of the Congo rainforest and begin to head back to the UK via West Africa.
Learn more
- What have the Cuckoos taught us? (2022)
- Cuckoo's clocks can't adjust to climate change - now we know why (2023)
- Our Cuckoo tracking journey (2024)
- Learn more about Cuckoos (facts, figures, trends)
- Learn how to identify them and their call in our Cuckoo ID video
- More about bird tracking technology (GPS, PTTs, Geolocators)
Support the project
- Help us continue our vital research by sponsoring a Cuckoo.
Cuckoo migration map
Each Cuckoo’s tag sends us location data approximately every day, so we can follow them and learn more about their migration.
Cuckoo movements from 1st May 2025 to 17th April 2026
Latest updates
Jim jumps The Channel
After making his way steadily north up through western France in the last few days, Jim launched across The Channel from Bayeux and arrived on the coast near Worthing in the early hours of this morning. From here, he headed swiftly inland and is now just around 11 km (7 miles), south of Wisborough Green, where he was tagged last May.
Joe’s French flight
Following his arrival in eastern Spain a week ago, Joe has flown just over 1,000 km (620 miles) and is now just north of the Regional National Park of the Marais Poitevin, in the Pays de la Loire region of western France.
This is the fourth consecutive spring where we have been able to follow Joe’s incredible journeys. Tagged in East Anglia back in 2022, Joe arrived back on his regular breeding grounds on April 28 last year, April 29 in 2024 and on April 24 in 2023. Will we see him back on Norfolk soil this weekend?
Arthur sweeps into Suffolk
Following our last update, just three days ago, Arthur left south-central Spain and headed north to Bilbao. From here he continued across the Bay of Biscay and crossed into France just to the west of Nantes, in the Upper Brittany region. He didn’t linger, and the next stage of his flight took him north, passing Saint Malo, skirting by Jersey and then into The Channel via Cherbourg.
By the early hours of Saturday he was on the Isle of Wight, and he wasted no time heading rapidly north-east from here. He crossed London overnight, and then headed straight for Suffolk. He is currently just west of Halesworth, and within a short distance of Worlingham Marshes nature reserve where he was tagged in May 2025.
Current Cuckoos
Each year, we follow a cohort of newly tagged Cuckoos as they migrate along the Afro-Palearctic flyway. We also watch Cuckoos tagged in previous years, if their tag is still transmitting data to us. Together, these are our 'Current Cuckoos'.
