...And so she did, and in twelve days the chick pecked its way out of the egg. So ugly! Didn’t look like anything. Some freak - no fluff, all pink, wrinkly and already almost as big as the Blue Tit. He opened its mouth and instead of a “Hello!” he shouted:

“GIMME FOOD!”

“It’s a Little Cuckoo! And that grey bird hiding near the nest wasn’t a falcon - it was a cuckoo bird!” the Blue Tit figured, “I’ve heard stories about how cuckoo moms leave their eggs in other birds’ nests. So here I am, with a Little Cuckoo that I hatched. What am I going to do with him now?”

And as if answering her question, the newborn chick demanded again:

“GIMME FOOD!”

Oh, what can you do? The Blue Tit started raising the cuckoo chick. His appetite was astonishing! He ate more than the rest of the family put together...