Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus 
Cuckoo family (Cuculidae)

Long slender body, 11” long. Long tail with white ovals on underside. Reddish brown back. Moderately long curved bill, black above, yellow below.

Habitat:
Open woods, thickets, riparian forest.

Nesting:
Nest is a loose platform of dry twigs, placed in thick shrubs, usually 4 to 8 feet above the ground. Begins nesting in June. May be double-brooded with a second clutch beginning in August. Eggs are pale bluish green. Clutch size – 2 to 3 eggs. Susceptible to intraspecific brood parasitism (cuckoos lay eggs in each other’s nests), recognized by unusually large clutches.

Voice:

Variable pitch and speed of notes, but notes are low-pitched, always sound like “cu cu cu”.  Some notes may sound hollow and wooden.

Name Origin:

Coccyzus, kokkux, Greek for “cuckoo”

In the Nature Park:
Neotropical migrant, arrives later than other migrants. Remains well hidden in dense vegetation. More easily heard than seen.

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