Rare oriental cuckoo spotted in Finland for only the second time

A rare oriental cuckoo has been observed in Finland for just the second time in recorded history, with the latest sighting confirmed in Kuhmo last summer, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The BirdLife Finland rarities committee officially validated the observation last week. The bird was discovered by nature photographers Arsi Ikonen, Ville Heikkinen, and Markus Varesvuo near Heikkinen’s home in Kuhmo’s Iivantiira district.

The first sighting was accidental. Ikonen initially heard the bird’s call while photographing a stoat and suspected it might be a crested lark—a species he had encountered in Spain—though the sound differed slightly. Heikkinen and Varesvuo, who were documenting common cuckoos and Arctic warblers nearby, later confirmed the unfamiliar call upon returning to the yard.

Identification took three days. The bird was first heard but not seen, then briefly heard again the following day. On the third day, it vocalised more actively, allowing the team to record its call and capture photographs. The oriental cuckoo closely resembles the common cuckoo in appearance, though it is slightly smaller, with minor differences in underwing patterns. Its call, however, is distinct—a rapid, bubbling trill rather than the common cuckoo’s familiar “cuck-oo.”

Finland’s first confirmed oriental cuckoo was recorded in Sotkamo’s Teerivaara in 2015. Heikkinen suggests the species’ rarity in observations may stem from its primary range in Russia, coupled with fewer active birdwatchers in northern regions like Kainuu compared to southern Finland. Many sightings likely go unnoticed, he notes, as the bird’s unfamiliar call may not register with casual observers.