A cuckoo found close to death in a Tolworth garden is being flown on a one-way flight to Italy tomorrow.
Idemili was taken to the Wildlife Aid Foundation's animal hospital in Leatherhead for emergency treatment after she was attacked by other birds and missed the chance to fly south for the winter. But British Airways agreed to fly her out on one of their passenger planes after her broken wing healed.
A lack of butterflies this summer had led to a dearth of caterpillars, cuckoos’ main food. Cuckoos arrive in the UK in spring to breed and lay eggs, then travel back to Africa with their chicks in July. The breed is a red listed species, meaning it is highly endangered, with an estimated 65% decline in numbers since 1980, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.
You can track Idemili as she makes her way home by visiting http://www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking
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