Cucco

"Twinkle, twinkle, little Cuccoo. I am gold and not for you-oo."

- Golden Cucco

Cuccos are chickens featured in several The Legend of Zelda games. They are well known for attacking Link if he attacks them for an extended period of time, and are sometimes known as the Cucco's Revenge Squad. In all games of their appearance, Link can lift Cuccos above his head, although this doesn't always serve a purpose.

A Link to the Past
In, their first appearance, Cuccos could be found in Kakariko Village. This game introduced their vengeful "revenge squad" behavior. Cucco-like monsters appeared in the Dark World, reacting to attacks with the same movements and sound effects, including the same "revenge squad" behavior.

Link's Awakening
Cuccos in couldn't be lifted or thrown without the aid of the Power Bracelet, and could mainly be found in Mabe Village. They could be killed using the Magic Powder or Magic Rod. This is the only game in which Cuccos are able to be killed.

On Koholint Island''s mountain range, a hen house can be found housing a man and several Cuccos.

Flying Rooster
A unique Cucco known as the Flying Rooster helps Link acquire the Key to the Eagle's Tower and then helps him get to the actual level itself. Playing the "Frog's Song of Soul", that Link learned from Mamu in the Signpost Maze, underneath the Weathercock where the Flying Rooster rests in Mabe Village, the Rooster can be resurrected. While a normal Cucco in this game will do nothing special while lifted, the Flying Rooster will allow Link to fly over bottomless pits much like Roc's Feather. Unlike the feather, Link isn't required to fall down until he throws the rooster. The Flying Rooster will follow Link around everywhere on the overworld map, but will not follow him into dungeons. The Flying Rooster can also be used to get one of the optional, 26 Secret Seashells near Kanalet Castle.

Once Link has completed Eagle's Tower, the Flying Rooster will leave and make its new home in the Hen House of the mountain range, and will be owned by the Cucco Keeper who lives there. The Flying Rooster is seen giving the man some flights in his house, and Link will no longer be able to use it.

Ocarina of Time
Cuccos could be found in a variety of places in, and again attacked Link in swarms if struck. As a new feature, Link could grab a Cucco and use it to glide slowly when jumping off a cliff. This technique is known as Cucco Gliding, and can be used several times throughout the game to earn Pieces of Heart. Unlike the Flying Rooster, Cuccos grabbed in this and later games cause Link to slowly glide downward instead of fly upwards.

When Link first encounters Malon in the Town Market she tells him of her father who had come to the Castle to deliver milk but probably fell asleep whilst doing so. She offers Link a Weird Egg that she had been incubating in return for looking for him. This egg is the first item that occupies the bottom right space set for Quest Items in Link's Inventory. After holding onto the egg from night till morning it will hatch at the very moment that the "rooster" crows to indicate that it is dawn, whether or not this is the actual egg's noise or not is unclear. The icon will have changed into a Cucco similar to that of the Pocket Cucco, however the inventory will say "Chicken" questioning whether this is a mistake or the gender of the bird represents their title (Like how roosters are male chickens). The "Chicken" is used to wake Malon's father, Talon, who is found sleeping by 2 large crates of milk on the side of Hyrule Castle. If the "chicken" is used on Talon he will wake up with a shock, and speed off to see Malon. These crates are required to enter the castle and see the Princess, who gives you Zelda's Letter. This replaces the "chicken" in the inventory, leading to believe that Zelda now is in possession of a chicken.

Anju, who can be found in Kakariko Village, requests that Link helps return her missing Cuccos to their pen. If this task is accomplished, Link can earn a Bottle. When Link returns later, the Cuccos will found to be out of their pen once more. He can complete the task as many times as he returns to the village, but Anju will instead only award him with fifty Rupees.

A second Bottle, filled with Lon Lon Milk, can be won in the Super Cucco Game. This minigame is only accessible as a child at Lon Lon Ranch, and requires Link to pick Talon's three "Super Cuccos" from among a brood of regular Cuccos. There is no discernible difference in appearance or behavior between these "Super Cuccos" and regular Cuccos.

Ocarina of Time also features Cojiro, the only known blue Cucco, and a smaller variant known as the Pocket Cucco.

Majora's Mask
In, Cuccos appear and function the same as in Ocarina of Time. The Cucco Shack at Romani Ranch is home to a number of Cucco chicks, which Link helps to mature into adulthood using the Bremen Mask. There is also one Cucco in the Barn. However, other than maturing the baby Cuccos to obtain the Bunny Hood, Cuccos serve no purpose in this game and cannot effectively be used for gliding.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Cuccos in both and  appear similarly and function identically to those found in Link's Awakening. An interesting attribute of Cuccos unique to the Oracle series is the effect Mystery Seeds have on them. If a Cucco has not called in the Revenge Squad when it is hit by a Mystery Seed, it will be reverted to a baby form of itself which will continue to swarm Link. However, this baby form cannot damage Link.

If the Cucco has called in the Revenge Squad, then it will instead triple in size, hurting Link through physical contact until he leaves. When a Cucco is enlarged like this, it becomes impossible to pick up, and will immediately begin to attack Link if he attacks it again.

Flying Roosters can be found at Mt. Cucco in Oracle of Seasons.

Four Swords Adventures
Cuccos in are very similar to the ones in A Link to the Past, attacking Link with a Cucco Revenge Squad if needed.

The Minish Cap
The Cuccos of are mostly the same as in A Link to the Past, though there are golden Cuccos that appear only for a minigame along with small yellow Cucco Chicks. The Cuccos play a part in a mini game where Link has to capture the Cuccos before the time runs out. The golden Cuccos are the most hyper and will escape the Link's grasp much more frequently than the white Cuccos. If Link hits a Cucco when he is trapped in a corner more than about 20 times, he will run around the whole of Hyrule Town and may cause Link harm. The Cucco chicks will attack Link if he is shrunk. Link can fuse Kinstones with the Cucco chicks on Swiftblade's house if he is in Minish form.

Twilight Princess
Cuccos in now come in white, brown and other realistic chicken colors. When attacked repeatedly, the Cuccos no longer call in the revenge squad. Instead, attacking them allows Link to control the Cucco for a few seconds, similar to how Seagulls could be controlled with Hyoi Pears in.

The Oocca are very similar to Cuccos in appearance and name. When Link grabs one in City in the Sky, they can even be used to glide like a regular Cucco.

Important Twilight Princess Cuccos
A white Cucco known as "Cucco Leader" is the leader of all cats in the Hidden Village. Unlike other Cuccos, he is not arrogant, but seems to genuinely care for all the cats and wants them to be happy.

Rusl lent Link a shiny Golden Cucco with faster flight abilities that allowed Link to reach the Sacred Grove. Unlike other Twilight Princess Cuccos, the Golden Cucco cannot be controlled by striking it repeatedly. If Link speaks to him in wolf form, he will sing a familiar rhyme, but with a twist.

Phantom Hourglass
Cuccos in appear and function similarly to their counterparts in Ocarina of Time. The "Revenge Squad" comes at their attacker at much higher speeds in Phantom Hourglass than any other game, making them a more lethal force.

Spirit Tracks
Cuccos in appear and function similarly to their counterparts in Phantom Hourglass. The "Revenge Squad" comes at their attacker for as long as the "victim" Cucco is red. Additionally, they are one of the cargo items that can be transported in freight cars. A man who raises Cuccos in northwestern Hyrule Castle Town sells five of them to Link for 50 Rupees. Link can only transport up to five Cuccos at a time. Like with other cargo items, Link loses a Cucco every time the train is hit. Link earns a Force Gem by bringing a total of ten Cuccos to a man in Aboda Village. Later on, Link gains another Force Gem by bringing five of them to Rael at the Sand Sanctuary. Rael wishes to study their vengeful behavior in order to "harness this unbelievable Cucco power for good of mankind."

Cucco's Revenge Squad
Ever since the introduction of the Cucco in A Link to the Past, if Link attacks a Cucco enough times, a large group of indestructible Cuccos will attack him; this flock of pestered poultry is rightly named the. In most titles, attacking a Cucco up to 30 or more times will summon the attacking flock. The flock will continuously attack Link until he either perishes or leaves the area, as Cuccos cannot follow Link into different maps.

In A Link to the Past, Cuccos appear in both the Light World and the Dark World, making it possible for the attacking flock to appear in both worlds.

In Ocarina of Time, they appear wherever their more peaceful cousins can be found - Lon Lon Ranch, Kakariko Village, and even the bend in Zora's River. There are some, but few areas in which Link cannot get hurt by the Cucco's Revenge Squad, in which Link is still in the area. Some of these areas are, but are not limited to: The Well in Kakariko Village from Ocarina of Time, and a few steps back from the cage in the Observatory from Majora's Mask. Link also cannot be harmed by Cuccos if he is on Epona. When a Cucco has been hit enough times, a cutscene will follow where it will crow for the revenge squad. If a Cucco is hit by even a single blast from a Bomb, it will immediately crow for them.

In all three of the Zelda games for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, the squad also makes a return appearance, aiding their injured brethren from further harm from Link.

While they were missing in The Wind Waker, the Pigs found in the game served a similar purpose - if provoked too much, they would attack Link.

The Cucco Revenge Squad seemed to mysteriously disappear in Twilight Princess, as attacking a Cucco many times will result in being able to control the Cucco for about 10 seconds. The reason for the Revenge Squad's absence is unknown. However, the change may not have much meaning behind it - except that almost every aspect of Zelda underwent a transformation during the development of Twilight Princess, from the "evolution" of the Boomerang to the Gale Boomerang, amongst many of the other changed, familiar items, to the complete replacement of the Moblins with Bulblins. The Goats in Ordon Village also served the same purpose as the Cuccos, when herding them, if Link whoops at them too much they will turn red, turn around and knock Link off of Epona. When possessing a Cucco, stray cats will attack it as if it were a toy.

The squad returns in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. By hitting a Cucco a few times, both that Cucco and the Cucco Revenge Squad will attack Link. However, the Cuccos are considerably harder to catch than in previous games.

Cucco Gliding
Cucco Gliding originated in Link's Awakening and can be seen in other games such as Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and, more recently, in Phantom Hourglass. Its mechanics are fairly simple: have Link grab a Cucco, run off a ledge, and he will glide safely to the ground with the Cucco squirming and frantically flapping its wings (as Link holds it above his head) so as to get free.

Cucco gliding was used primarily to gain access to Eagle's Tower by helping Link acquire the Bird Key, using the Flying Rooster. Falbi's Flight by Fowl in Twilight Princess focuses in Cucco Gliding.

In Ocarina of Time, Cucco Guiding is one way to get several Pieces of Heart, although the Hover Boots can be used in just about every case.

Etymology
The name "Cucco" is most probably an onomatopoeia of the sound a chicken makes. However, it is possible that the name is a reference to Jill's carrier pigeon of the same name in the 1986 anime Windaria.

Trivia

 * The Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker, a common North American woodpecker, which was first classified as Cuculus auratus or "Golden Cuckoo" by Carolus Linnæus. The Golden Cucco in Twilight Princess could be based off of this name, although it bears no resemblance to the Flicker.
 * When using a Gameshark, Action Replay, or Game Genie code for invincibility, the invincible Cucco's Revenge Squad can be picked up by Link and carried around.