Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo

Rain crow, Storm crow

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Coccyzus americanus
Population size
9.2 Mln
Life Span
5 years
Top speed
35
22
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
55-65
1.9-2.3
goz
g oz 
Length
26-30
10.2-11.8
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
38-43
15-16.9
cminch
cm inch 

Yellow-billed cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus) are long-tailed, slender birds that stay well hidden among deciduous woodlands. They usually sit completely still, even hunching up their shoulders to hide their crisp white underparts, while hunting for large caterpillars. On a shaded perch, bold white spots on their tail’s underside often are the most visible feature. Their stuttering, croaking calls, heard over a great distance, often are heard on humid, hot afternoons, and so this bird is often called the "rain crow," as if it is calling for rain.

Di

Diurnal

Ca

Carnivore

In

Insectivores

Ar

Arboreal

Al

Altricial

Te

Terrestrial

Te

Territorial

Ov

Oviparous

So

Solitary

Mi

Migrating

Y

starts with

Appearance

The adult Yellow-bellied cuckoo has a long tail, brown above and black-and-white below, and a black curved bill with yellow especially on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown and the underparts are white. There is a yellow ring around the eye. It shows cinnamon on the wings in flight. Juveniles are similar, but the black on the undertail is replaced by gray.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Yellow-billed cuckoos inhabit the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The areas where they breed are eastern North America, southeast Canada, the Greater Antilles, and northern Mexico. They winter mainly in South America (Peru, northern Argentina, and Bolivia). These birds prefer open woodlands with a dense shrub layer and clearings. Often they are found in woodlands near lakes, rivers, or streams. In North America, they prefer such habitats as old fruit orchards, abandoned farmland, dense thickets, and successional shrubland. In winter, they frequent tropical habitats with a similar structure.

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Yellow-billed cuckoos live alone or in pairs in the breeding season. It is thought that they may be territorial. They are patient feeders and will sit motionless on hidden perches, frequently with their shoulders hunched in order to disguise their white belly and chest while waiting for their prey to move. They will glean insects from leaves, also hopping to the ground to pursue frogs, lizards, and grasshoppers, or to sally out in the manner of a flycatcher to seize a flying insect. These birds are fully migratory, flying at night in either small or large flocks. Aside from migration, these birds are typically diurnal. Individuals mainly use vocalizations to communicate. Generally silent during winter and migration, they vocalize regularly early in the breeding season before chicks fledge. They can make at least 6 sounds, and use them for a wide range of social situations.

Group name
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Yellow-billed cuckoos are carnivores (insectivores), they mainly eat large insects such as caterpillars, katydids, grasshoppers, cicadas, and crickets. They sometimes eat bird eggs, small vertebrates like frogs and lizards, snails, fruits, and seeds.

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON
starts in mid-to-late May
INCUBATION PERIOD
9-11 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
21 days
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
1-5 eggs

Yellow-billed cuckoos start to breed in mid-to-late May. They typically breed once a year, though some populations in the east may produce two broods per breeding season. Both adults build a nest of twigs, lined with dried leaves and roots, and edged with pine needles. 1 to 5 light blue eggs are laid (usually 2 or 3) and incubation begins after the first egg has been laid. Incubation is by both parents and runs for 9 to 11 days. The chicks are altricial when they hatch and are brooded frequently by the parents for about the first week. Both parents feed them, and they begin to leave their nest at 7 to 9 days old and begin to fly at 21 days old. Soon after that, they disperse from the nest. Most Yellow-billed cuckoos become reproductively mature at the age of 1 year old.

Population

Population threats

Yellow-billed cuckoos are commonly found within parts of their range. However, in recent years populations have been declining throughout much of their range, most likely because of habitat loss and fragmentation. Further threats to these populations include poisoning from environmental contaminants such as pesticides and collision with tall buildings and towers during their nocturnal migration.

Population number

According to the What Bird resource, the total population size of the Yellow-billed cuckoo is around 9.2 million individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, but its numbers today are decreasing.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • Cuckoos were originally named after the repetitive songs of the male.
  • This bird’s eyes are positioned so it can see to the rear without needing to turn its head. It is able, therefore, to observe a predator or intruder approaching from behind it, while seemingly unaware, looking ahead.
  • Caterpillars are a favorite food of this cuckoo: it will roll one back and forth in its bill, perhaps trying to strip off the spiny hairs.
  • This species is one of the few birds which can eat hairy caterpillars. In eastern parts, they eat large quantities of tent caterpillars up to 100 in one sitting.
  • Some of these cuckoos may lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, either those of other cuckoos or of other species.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Yellow-Billed Cuckoo Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-billed_cuckoo
2. Yellow-Billed Cuckoo on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22684331/0
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/684511

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