Common Cuckoo

SCI Name:  Cuculus canorus
Protonym:  Cuculus canorus Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.110
Taxonomy:  Cuculiformes / Cuculidae / Cuculus
Taxonomy Code:  comcuc
Type Locality:  Europe = Sweden, ex Fn. Suec.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

CUCULUS
(Cuculidae; Ϯ Common Cuckoo C. canorus) L. cuculus  cuckoo. "52. CUCULUS.  Rostrum teretiusculum.  Nares margine prominulæ.  Lingua sagittata, plana, integra." (Linnaeus 1758); "Cuculus Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 110. Type, by tautonymy, Cuculus canorus Linné (Cuculus, prebinomial specific name in synonymy.)" (Peters, 1940, IV, p. 14). Linnaeus's Cuculus comprised eight species (C. canorus, C. Persa, C. Vetula, C. glandarius, C. scolopaceus, C. niger, C. americanus, C. auratus). Together with the arrival of the Barn Swallow, the distinctive calls of the Common Cuckoo are traditionally and widely regarded as the harbingers of springtime throughout Europe.   
Var. Cucculus, Cuculis, Cuculuc.   
Synon. Coccyx, Edolius, Melanococcyx, Multivoculus, Nicoclarius, Notococcyx, Surniculoides, Versiculus.

canorum / canorus
L. canorus  melodious  < canor, canoris  song, tune  < canere  to sing.
● "52. CUCULUS.  ...  canorus.  1. C. cauda aequali nigricante albo punctata. Fn. svec. 77.  Cuculus. Gesn. av. 363. Aldr. ornith. l. 5. c. 107. Bell. av. 22:6. Will. ornith. 62. t. 77. Frisch. av. 4. t. 40, 41, 42. Raj. av. 23. Alb. av. I. p. 8. t. 8. Olin. av. 38.  Habitat in Europa; victitat Larvis.  Ova sua aliarum avicularum nidis imponis, cubandi impotens; variat ætate, sexu; tempore frondescentiæ, florescentiæ, grossisicationis cuculat; occultatur caniculæ ortu; in falconem transformari perperam asseritur." (Linnaeus 1758) (Cuculus).
● "95. TURDUS.  ...  Canorus.  5. T. griseus, subtus ferrugineus, linea alba ad latera capitis, cauda rotundata. Chin. Lagerstr. 11.  Turdus chinensis. Osb. it. 309.  Turdus fuscus benghalensis non maculatus. Edw. av. 184. t. 184.  Baniah bove benghala. Alb. av. 3. p. 18. t. 19.  Habitat in Benghala, China." (Linnaeus 1758) (Garrulax).
● ex "Faucon Chanteur" of Levaillant 1798, pl. 27 (Melierax).
● ex “Merle de Bengale” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 258 (syn. Pitta brachyura).

SUBSPECIES

Common Cuckoo (bangsi)
SCI Name: Cuculus canorus bangsi
bangsi
Outram Bangs (1863-1932) US zoologist, collector (syn. Aethopyga gouldiae dabryii, Amazilia rutila x Amazilia tzacatl, subsp. Amphispiza bilineata, syn. Automolus leucophthalmus, subsp. Buteogallus anthracinus, syn. Catharus aurantiirostris melpomene, subsp. Cuculus canorus, syn. Cyanoderma ruficeps davidi, syn. Emberiza godlewskii omissa, syn. Galerida deva, Grallaria, subsp. Halcyon coromanda, subsp. Hapalocrex flaviventer, subsp. Henicorhina leucophrys, syn. Hydrobates castro, subsp. Leptotila verreauxi, syn. Loxia curvirostra himalayensis, subsp. Manacus manacus, syn. Mirafra cantillans, syn. Myiarchus tuberculifer nigricapillus, syn. Parus major nigriloris, subsp. Peucaea carpalis, subsp. Prinia crinigera, syn. Pterocles orientalis arenarius, subsp. Quiscalus niger, syn. Sheppardia sharpei, subsp. Sitta villosa, subsp. Sterna dougallii, subsp. Tachybaptus dominicus, subsp. Tangara gyrola, subsp. Xiphorhynchus triangularis).

Common Cuckoo (canorus)
SCI Name: Cuculus canorus canorus
canorum / canorus
L. canorus  melodious  < canor, canoris  song, tune  < canere  to sing.
● "52. CUCULUS.  ...  canorus.  1. C. cauda aequali nigricante albo punctata. Fn. svec. 77.  Cuculus. Gesn. av. 363. Aldr. ornith. l. 5. c. 107. Bell. av. 22:6. Will. ornith. 62. t. 77. Frisch. av. 4. t. 40, 41, 42. Raj. av. 23. Alb. av. I. p. 8. t. 8. Olin. av. 38.  Habitat in Europa; victitat Larvis.  Ova sua aliarum avicularum nidis imponis, cubandi impotens; variat ætate, sexu; tempore frondescentiæ, florescentiæ, grossisicationis cuculat; occultatur caniculæ ortu; in falconem transformari perperam asseritur." (Linnaeus 1758) (Cuculus).
● "95. TURDUS.  ...  Canorus.  5. T. griseus, subtus ferrugineus, linea alba ad latera capitis, cauda rotundata. Chin. Lagerstr. 11.  Turdus chinensis. Osb. it. 309.  Turdus fuscus benghalensis non maculatus. Edw. av. 184. t. 184.  Baniah bove benghala. Alb. av. 3. p. 18. t. 19.  Habitat in Benghala, China." (Linnaeus 1758) (Garrulax).
● ex "Faucon Chanteur" of Levaillant 1798, pl. 27 (Melierax).
● ex “Merle de Bengale” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 258 (syn. Pitta brachyura).

Common Cuckoo (subtelephonus)
SCI Name: Cuculus canorus subtelephonus
subtelephonus
L. sub near to; specific name Cuculus telephonus Heine, 1863 (= syn. Cuculus canorus) (subsp. Cuculus canorus).

Common Cuckoo (bakeri)
SCI Name: Cuculus canorus bakeri
bakeri
● Edward Charles Stuart Baker (1864-1944) British ornithologist, oologist, collector, Indian Police 1883-1912 (subsp. Cuculus canorus, syn. Garrulax monileger stuarti, subsp. Liocichla phoenicea, syn. Lonchura malacca (ex Munia malacca orientalis Baker, 1925), subsp. Napothera epilepidota, syn. Pericrocotus flammeus fraterculus, subsp. Polyplectron bicalcaratum, subsp. Pomatorhinus ruficollis, Psittiparus, syn. Thalasseus bergii velox, subsp. Tachymarptis melba, syn. Turdinus macrodactylus, Yuhina, subsp. Zapornia fusca).
● Dr John Randal Baker (1900-1984) British scientist, cytologist, collector in the New Hebrides 1922-1923, 1927 (Ducula).
● Dr Allan John Baker (1943-2014) New Zealand/Canadian ornithologist (subsp. Fringilla coelebs).
● George Fisher Baker, Jr. (1878-1937) US banker, collector, trustee of the AMNH (Sericulus).