Read the latest updates from our Cuckoos on their epic migration between the UK and tropical Africa, or track their movements in real-time on our Cuckoo migration map. If you enjoy these updates, please consider sponsoring a Cuckoo. Sponsors receive special updates about their chosen Cuckoo in the Cuckoo e-newsletter.
Skinner moves south
Low quality transmissions received from Skinner's tag show that he has moved 85km (53 miles) further south within Angola, to the Cuanza Norte region.
Chris continues into Angola
Since the 3 December, Chris has moved 270 km (170 miles) further south into Angola. He is now close to Skinner's original location within Angola, although he has subsequently also moved slightly further south.
Livingstone returns to previous location
Livingstone has returned to the area he was in during October and early November, leaving eastern Congo and returning to the Cuvette-Ouest region to the west.
BB heads south to join the other tagged Cuckoos
In the very early hours of 5 December, transmissions from BB's tag showed that he had left his location in Chad and was heading south over the Central African Republic, towards the area where many of our tagged Cuckoos have been for several weeks.
The next period of transmissions, on 7 December, revealed he was in Congo. This most recent movement has taken him 1125km (700 miles) from his location in Chad. He is now just 55km (35 miles) from Norfolk Cuckoo Derek and 90km (60 miles) from fellow Scottish Cuckoo, Livingstone. Desite this move south, he is still currently the furthest north.
Derek moves west
Not long after Chris left the swamp forests, Derek also left the area, travelling 230 km (144 miles) southwest to an area of the Cuvette region in central Congo.
Waller travels to Lake Mai
Waller moved from his location in the swamp forests on 30 November and signals on 2 December reveal that he is now to the west of the shores of Lake Mai and just 25km (15 miles) from fellow Scottish Cuckoo, Patch.
Chris is the second Cuckoo in Angola
On 26 November, transmissions from Chris's tag revealed that he had moved from his position in the Western Congolian Swamp forests and become the second of all our tagged Cuckoos to travel as far south as Angola! He had covered almost 800km (500 miles) and was just inside the border, in the region of Uige.
What's even more interesting than this movement south is that we have been tracking Chris for two and a half years and so know that he has spent the two previous winters in the swamp forest from which he recently moved. So what has prompted him to move? We know that rainfall has been a bit higher than usual over the past month in the area that he came from but we aren't sure whether that will have impacted conditions for him. Could food be more scarce in the area this year? If so, we may well see Derek who is in the swamp forests move on too. Keep an eye on the blog to see whether Chris decides to spend the winter in his new location or whether he returns to the swamp.
Livingstone heads north
Over a series of days, Livingstone has travelled 415km (260 miles) north-east, leaving his position in the Teke Plateau and heading to northern Congo. Signals received today show that he is close to the border with the Central African Republic in the Noubale-Ndoki National Park.
Chance to west of Teke Plateau
Chance has moved roughly 150 km (95 miles) south-west from his first location in Gabon, away from the Teke Plateau area and is now to the west of this. Recent movements from other Cuckoos arriving in this area suggest that conditions may not be so good in the area this year as in previous years and this may explain Skinner's southerly movement to Angola.
A surprising move south from Skinner
Skinner was still in Congo on 14 November but his new location, received yesterday, really surprised us! Skinner had moved 550km, heading even further south, and as of yesterday afternoon he was in Angola.
Not only is this a brand new country for any of our tagged Cuckoos since the project began, it is also the furthest south, by several 100 kilometres, that any of our Cuckoos have ever ventured. If you are surprised by this – take a look at what the Cuckoos from Belarus have done here.