Cuckoo

Cuckoo, bird of the family Cuculidae, found in the tropics and in temperate regions. The common cuckoo of Europe, Asia, and Africa, a slender bird with long tail and dull-colored plumage, lays its eggs in other species' nests, where they are reared by their foster parents. The North American species, the black-billed and the yellow-billed (Coccyzus americanus), raise their own broods. The roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), also of the Cuculidae, is found in the deserts of the Southwest and can run up to 15 mph (24.1 kmph).