«Neck-neck, neck-neck», the well-known song of the Grey Cuckoo male resonates in nature as soon as it arrives in spring. This bird is the origin of sayings, legends and beliefs! So, we once thought that if we had a coin in our hand when we heard the first cuckoo song of the year, we would be rich all year round! This bird, unusual for its unusual manners linked to its reproduction, intrigues. But what do we know about this amazing bird? It is said «nest thief» but what is it really? The Grey Cuckoo is an extraordinary bird, discreet and unknown. The exhibition Gare au Coucou! A squatter among birds” presents, through two species the Grey Cuckoo and the Cuckoo-Jay, what is a brood parasite: a bird entrusts its egg to a couple of another species who takes care of it and raises it as its own chick.
You will discover:

• The different types of parasitism, the two parasitic species of Europe.
• The Grey Cuckoo.
• Coucou-geai.
• How the two European coucous species identify host pairs
• The incredible investment of adoptive parents to raise an ogre and the migration of each species of cuckoo.
  Part of the exhibition is devoted to other cuckoos in the world and in particular to Australian cuckoos, related in the behavior of the Grey Cuckoo.