The great spotted cuckoo, measuring 39-45cm long, is found in the south of France and Spain in bushy and lightly wooded country where it lays its eggs in the nests of magpies and Iberian magpies. The cuckoo's eggs resemble the magpie's eggs in colour and they hatch before those of the host. Great spotted cuckoos live in groups - pairs of birds break away from the community only during the breeding season.