The Curious Life of the CuckooOur greatest nature writer explores the myths, legends, history, and hidden world of one of our most secretive and masterfully duplicitous animals. Is there any bird more mysterious than the cuckoo? It is invariably heard, and not seen. And if seen, it is mistaken for a sharp winged hawk. The female cuckooby a trick that borders on alchemyis able to disguise its egg as another's. In Greek myth, the god Zeus assumed the form of a cuckoo to seduce Hera.