The Cuckoo Is a Bonny Bird Lyrics
In Britain and much of Europe, hearing the first cuckoo means spring has arrived. This old rhyme celebrates the bird, and it also knows one of the cuckoo's odder habits.
The Cuckoo Is a Bonny Bird
The Cuckoo is a bonny bird,
She sings as she flies,
She brings us good tidings,
And tells us no lies.
She sucks little bird's eggs
To make her voice clear,
And never cries Cuckoo!
Till Spring of the year.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-cuckoo-is-a-bonny-bird/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Traditional
- Best for ages
- 3 to 8 years
What Does The Cuckoo Is a Bonny Bird Mean?
Bonny is a Scottish and northern English word for pretty or fine. The rhyme says the cuckoo sings as it flies, brings good news and never lies, and does not call "cuckoo" until spring. That last part is true: cuckoos spend the winter in Africa and arrive in Europe in April, so their call really is a sign of spring.
The line about eggs has some truth in it too. Cuckoos do not build nests. A female lays her egg in another bird's nest, and she often removes one of that bird's own eggs, sometimes eating it. The idea that it clears her voice is pure folklore.
History and Origin
This version comes from The Only True Mother Goose Melodies, printed in Boston in 1833. Halliwell's collection a few years later has a similar rhyme starting "The cuckoo's a fine bird", placed in his section on natural history. The cuckoo's arrival has been celebrated in English songs for centuries, going back to the medieval round Sumer is icumen in.
Learning Activities
- Cuckoo call: the call is two notes, high then low. Practice it, then play a quiet hide-and-seek where the seeker follows the cuckoo sound.
- Spring signs: make a list of signs that spring is coming where you live: birds, flowers, longer days.
- Cuckoo clock: if you can, listen to a cuckoo clock and count the calls for the hour.
- Bird map: older children can trace the cuckoo's journey from Africa to Europe on a map.