Image segmentation is an important part of image processing. For the disadvantages of image segmentation under multiple thresholds such as long time and poor quality, an improved cuckoo search (ICS) is proposed for multithreshold image segmentation strategy. Firstly, the image segmentation model based on the maximum entropy threshold is described, and secondly, the cuckoo algorithm is improved by using chaotic initialization population to improve the diversity of solutions, optimizing the step size factor to improve the possibility of obtaining the optimal solution, and using probability to reduce the complexity of the algorithm; finally, the maximum entropy threshold function in image segmentation is used as the individual fitness function of the cuckoo search algorithm for solving. The simulation experiments show that the algorithm has a good segmentation effect under four different thresholding conditions.