A cuckoo named Carlton II has smashed the record books by flying more than 4,000 miles in just seven days on his annual migration to the UK from Africa.
Carlton II was named after the Carlton Marshes in Lowestoft, Suffolk, where he was tagged by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in May 2018.
Cuckoos usually take two or three weeks to reach the UK on their migration journey, but Carlton II has set the record for the fastest known cuckoo migration from the Ivory Coast in West Africa to the marshes in Suffolk.
Helped by strong southerly winds, he leap-frogged two other cuckoos named PJ and Senan who are currently stopping over in Spain and North Africa.
A map of his route shows Carlton II arrived in the UK last week, stopping off at a south London golf club before visiting another golf club in Berkshire.
He also flew to another golf course at Burnham Beeches before returning to his breeding grounds at the Carlton Colville nature reserve.
He will spend the next four to six weeks there before travelling back to the Congo rainforest in Gabon, Central Africa.
He spends the summers in Suffolk and the winters in Gabon and travels over 5,500 miles between the two, dodging many hazards, such as high winds, sand and hailstorms, ferocious thunderstorms, drought and lengthy sea-crossings.
Since having his tag fitted, Carlton II has flown more than 22,00 miles on his migrations.
Dr Chris Hewson, BTO lead scientist on the project, said: "It is great to see Carlton II getting back to the UK so quickly. Taking just a week to cover more than 3,000 miles from Liberia to Berkshire is an awesome feat and something even swifts don’t manage.
"This shows us just how quickly these harbingers of spring can get here from tropical Africa when conditions for their journey are good. It’s a journey so full of hazards that it’s always a relief when they get back, no matter how fast or slow."
BTO scientists have been tracking cuckoos to understand why nearly three-quarters of Britain’s breeding cuckoos have disappeared in the last 25 years.
