Cuckoos are some of nature’s most familiar conmen. Several species of this large family are murderous slackers, who shun their own parental responsibilities by deceiving other birds into caring for their chicks. In the process, they destroy the eggs of the unwitting adopted family to ensure that their own chick gets undivided attention. But this is not the only way that cuckoos fool other birds – they also mimic hawks.

The resemblance between cuckoos and hawks (particularly sparrowhawks) has been noted for millennia. Both birds have long bodies, wings and tails and their paler, striped undersides contrast against a darker grey or brown backs. The resemblance is uncanny enough that Pliny believed that cuckoos disappeared from Europe in the