Ten documented cuckoo species in licensed photographs, comparing visible plumage and silhouettes. An editorial selection, not a ranking of beauty, size or rarity. Visuals are real Wikimedia Commons photographs, not AI-generated images. Narration is synthesized with Edge TTS. Photographs are resized and fitted to a portrait frame; derived images retain their source licenses. Common cuckoo: Andy Morffew from Itchen Abbas, Hampshire, UK; CC BY 2.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuckoo_%2851169010335%29.jpg Oriental cuckoo: Aviceda; CC BY-SA 3.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oriental_Cuckoo_Maiala.JPG Lesser cuckoo: Tisha Mukherjee; CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lesser_Cuckoo_by_Tisha_Mukherjee_16.jpg Indian cuckoo: Creepanta; CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_cuckoo_%28Cuculus_micropterus%29_46_%28cropped%29.jpg African cuckoo: Maans Booysen, Birding Weto; CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuculus_gularis%2C_mannetjie%2C_Pretoriuskop%2C_Birding_Weto%2C_a.jpg Black cuckoo: Christiaan Viljoen; CC BY 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuculus_clamosus_ssp._clamosus.jpg Red-chested cuckoo: Giles Laurent; CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:024_Red-chested_cuckoo_at_Kibale_forest_National_Park_Photo_by_Giles_Laurent.jpg Great spotted cuckoo: Zeynel Cebeci; CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clamator_glandarius_%28cropped_2%29.jpg Jacobin cuckoo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE; CC BY-SA 2.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacobin_Cuckoo_%28Clamator_jacobinus%29_%2831023298595%29.jpg Yellow-billed cuckoo: Rhododendrites; CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-billed_cuckoo_%2842690%29.jpg Adapted visuals and original contributions to this version are offered under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Source photographs retain their stated licenses.