The Ming-dynasty Compendium of Materia Medica describes the cuckoo thus: "Shaped like a harrier, grey in color, red mouth." But the most unflattering description must be this one "Clothed all over in shabby black feathers" --in other words, no beauty, and not much better than a crow.
更糟糕的莫過將之描述為「毛衣襤縷滿身黑」，不漂亮就罷了，還比烏鴉差不了多少。