Common Cuckoo vs Laysan Duck

Cuculus canorus compared with Anas laysanensis

Key Differences

• Common Cuckoo is Near Threatened while Laysan Duck is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Cuckoo	Laysan Duck
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cuculiformes (Cuculiformes)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Cuculidae	Anatidae
Genus	Cuculus	Anas
Species	Cuculus canorus	Anas laysanensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Cuckoo and Laysan Duck share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Common Cuckoo

NT — Near Threatened

Laysan Duck

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Cuckoo	Laysan Duck
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Cuckoo

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Laysan Duck

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Cuckoo

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Laysan Duck

Laysan Duck (Anas laysanensis) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway