When the Fool Returns from Africa: Musings on Cuckoo Day

I was spared the indignity of rummaging through an empty pocket for loose change on my Monday climb up Roseberry Topping, which is just as well, since I heard no cuckoo. According to local superstition, today—April 14th—is “Cuckoo Day,” the date when this allegedly symbolic bird is supposed to announce its return with its distinctive song. The tradition, in its infinite wisdom, dictates that upon hearing the call, one must turn the money in one’s pocket to ensure it multiplies. A sort of primitive investment strategy, presumably more effective than the stock market at the moment.

The northern English twist is even more charming: if you hear the cuckoo and your pockets are bare, doom looms. People once took this seriously. Imagine living in fear of a bird with commitment issues and a two-note repertoire¹Kirke Swann, H. “A dictionary of English and folk-names of British birds; with their history, meaning, and first usage, and the folk-lore, weather-lore, legends, etc., relating to the more familiar species”. Witherby & Co. 1913..

There are, of course, two modern problems with this folklore. First, what qualifies as money in a world where coins are museum pieces? Does tapping your debit card count? Or waving your phone near a contactless reader? The second problem is the date itself. While April 14th might satisfy the folklorists of North Yorkshire, elsewhere the cuckoo has the audacity to arrive on its own schedule. Tenbury in Worcestershire insists on the 20th. Northants clings to the 15th. The bird, as ever, is oblivious.

Its name, predictably, is onomatopoeic—one of those words people like to say to feel clever. Even the French say Coucou, and the Spanish Cuco. It has therefore mercifully few regional variants, though in the North Riding of Yorkshire it used to be called a “gowk”—a term also used for a fool, which might be the most accurate part of the whole tradition²Brockett, J.T., “A Glossary of North Country Words in Use; with their Etymology, and Affinity to other Languages; and Occasional Notices of Local Customs and Popular Superstitions”, E. Charnley, 1829, https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6-cQAAAAYAAJ. The cuckoo is universally believed to be dim-witted, which is presumably why the name is flung at people acting the fool. The word “cuckold” comes from the same linguistic root, adding insult to injury for husbands who have already suffered enough.

Aristotle, ever the keen observer, noted the cuckoo’s novel approach to parenting: no nest of its own, just freeloading in other birds’ homes, eating their eggs, and in some accounts, inspiring nest-side massacres. A heart-warming tale of nature red in beak and claw.

The BTO, for its part, has been strapping trackers to cuckoos since 2011, revealing useful insights into their migration. I see their tracked birds are still lounging south of the Pyrenees. Perhaps they are taking their time. Perhaps they know something we do not. Perhaps climate change is not just a distant warning, but something even cuckoos cannot ignore.

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  Kirke Swann, H. “A dictionary of English and folk-names of British birds; with their history, meaning, and first usage, and the folk-lore, weather-lore, legends, etc., relating to the more familiar species”. Witherby & Co. 1913.
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  Brockett, J.T., “A Glossary of North Country Words in Use; with their Etymology, and Affinity to other Languages; and Occasional Notices of Local Customs and Popular Superstitions”, E. Charnley, 1829, https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6-cQAAAAYAAJ