Cuckoos

[Rev. Green]

How does a cuckoo raised in a blackbird's nest know to say "cuckoo" and choose a cuckoo as its mate?

[Tilly2]

...because it's a cuckoo, not a blackbird.

[barry1010]

I see the point of your question, Rev Green. I thought birds imprinted on the parent bird which is why those who raise abandoned and injured chicks intended to be released in to the wild go to extraodinary lengths to disguise they are human.
So why don't cuckoos imprint on the blackbird and identiry as a blackbird?

[Mamyalynne]

https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2013/09/09/3788492.htm

[KARL]

The adolescents don't call like that until they are adults and in their reproductive phase - their parents lose their characteristic call once the summer wears on. Much more fascinating to me is the fact that the parents join with all the adults and fly off to Africa. Weeks after that all the adolescents gather and also fly off.............to Africa also. Why do they do that and along the same routes as the parents to the same parts for our winter ?

[ladybirder]

Why have you C&P'd from mamya's link bubbly?