Satellites map epic migration of Beijing cuckoo

Chinese poets have often used the cuckoo's arrival as a symbol of homecoming, but few knew where the bird came from.

Now, modern technology has provided the answer. Satellite tracking has shown that the common cuckoo can travel up to 12,000 kilometers between its winter grounds, as far away as East Africa, and its summer home in Beijing.

Chinese and British ornithologists and bird lovers caught 16 cuckoos in three Beijing wetland parks in May, and fitted satellite tracking tags to five of the birds.