Cucco

Cuccos are chickens that have 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.

Interestingly enough, "cuccos" are an extinct species of birds that were considered a delicacy in ancient Babylon.

A Link to the Past
In A Link to the Past, their first appearance, Cuccos could be found in Kakariko Village. This game introduced their vengeful "death swarm" behavior.

Cucco-like monsters appeared in the Dark World, reacting to attacks with the same movements and sound effects. Unlike their paler counterparts, these monsters don't call in a "revenge squad" when abused after any period of time.

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

A unique Cucco known as The Flying Rooster helps Link acquire the Key to the Eagle's Tower of the game and then helps you get to the actual level itself. Playing the Frog's Song of Soul that Link learned from Mamu in the Sign Post Maze near the windmill in Mabe Village, the Rooster can be resurrected. While a normal Cucco in this game will do nothing special while lifted, the Flying Roost 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.

Flying Rooster
The Flying Rooster is a male Cucco seen in Link's Awakening. The Rooster helps you get the Key to the 7th level of the game and then helps you get to the actual level itself. You can find the Rooster under the windmill in Mabe Village. Using the Frog's Song of Soul that Link learned from Mamu in the Sign Post Maze, the Rooster can be resurrected.

The Flying Rooster also appears in A Link to the Past, to get him you have to play the flute in front of the rooster in Kakariko village. When playing the flute again the rooster will pick you up to transport you to another part in the map.

Ocarina of Time
Cuccos could be found in a variety of places in Ocarina of Time, 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 Chicken 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.

Anju, who can be found in Kakariko Village, requests that Link helps return her missing Cuccos to their pen. If this task is accomplished, the player can earn an Empty 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.

The game also features Cojiro, the only known blue Cucco, and a smaller variant known as the Pocket Cucco.

See also: ''Super Cucco Game

Majora's Mask


In Majora's Mask, 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.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
Cuccos in both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons appear similarly and function identically to those found in Link's Awakening.

See also:
 * Cuccodex
 * Mt. Cucco

The Minish Cap
The Cuccos of The Minish Cap were mostly the same as in A Link to the Past, though there were golden Cuccos that appeared only for a minigame along with small yellow Cucco Chicks. The Cucco chicks will attack Link if he is shrunk.

Quote from The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Cucco! figurine: "With a boisterous crow and a cute crest, these feathered friends are the most popular pets in Hyrule. The baby chicks like small bugs."

Twilight Princess
Cuccos in Twilight Princess 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 the player to control the Cucco for a few seconds, similar to how Seagulls could be controlled with Hyoi Pears in Wind Waker.

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 you speak to him in your wolf form, he will be singing a familiar song with a Cucco "accent".

Phantom Hourglass
Cuccos in Phantom Hourglass 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.

Cucco gliding
Cucco gliding originated in Link's Awakening. It's mechanics are fairly simple: have Link grab a Cucco, run off a ledge, and you 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 aquire the Bird Key. It appears to have returned in Twilight Princess, in Falbi's Flight by Fowl

Cucco's Revenge Squad
A large group of indestructible Cuccos that will attack Link if he causes sufficient harm to a Cucco in the Legend of Zelda series. 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. The only ways to escape the murderous group of poultry are to leave the area (they can't follow) or to mount Epona (Link himself becomes indestructible). Failure to do one of these two things will eventually result in Link's death, the time for this extending the more health the player has.

They also appear in both the Light Overworld and the Dark Overworld in A Link to the Past, where the best option to evade them is either to enter a house or not to bully a Cucco up to 30 times.

In all three of the eight-bit The Legend of Zelda games for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color they also make a return appearance, helping to aid their injured brethren from further harm by a "certain" hero.

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

Cucco's 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 squad returns in Phantom Hourglass; by hitting a cucco a few times, both that cucco and the cucco revenge squad will attack you.