33-36 cm, sexes similar. There is a grey variety of cuckoo and a red one. It has pointed wings vaguely reminiscent of a bird of prey but the head is small and the beak slender. Its characteristic song echoes from May to June. It is present from May to September, nesting in the reeds and riparian forests by placing its egg in the nests of reed warblers, warblers and blackcaps.