Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
Coccyzus americanus 4
More often heard than seen, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (11-13 inches) is most easily separated from the similar Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) by its reddish-brown wing patches, white-and-black under-tail pattern, and the yellow on its bill. Other field marks include a long tail, thin body, and black legs. Male and female Yellow-billed Cuckoos are similar at all seasons. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo breeds across much of the eastern U.S. and southern Canada. Smaller numbers breed west of the Great Plains, in Mexico, and in the West Indies. All Yellow-billed Cuckoos spend the winter in South America. Yellow-billed Cuckoos breed in forests with plentiful undergrowth and clearings, particularly those near water. On migration, this species may be found in habitat similar to that inhabited during the summer months. Wintering Yellow-billed Cuckoos inhabit humid tropical forest. The diet of this species is composed primarily of large insects, including grasshoppers, cicadas, and caterpillars. Like many cuckoos, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo spends much of its time hidden in thick vegetation, where it is not easily seen. Lucky birdwatchers may observe this species slinking through the branches of tall trees while foraging for insect prey. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are primarily active during the day, but like many migratory birds, this species migrates at night.
Associations 5
Yellow-billed cuckoos affect the populations of the species they prey on. They are also host to internal and external parasites.
Yellow-billed cuckoos are also nest parasites, and may affect the reproductive success of species that they parasitize. Some yellow-billed cuckoos parasitize other birds by laying eggs in their nests. They may lay eggs in the nest of other yellow-billed cuckoos, or in the nests of other bird species, including black-billed cuckoos, American robins, gray catbirds and wood thrushes. If the parasitized parents raise the foreign young, their own chicks may be less likely to survive or flourish.
Ecosystem Impact: parasite
Species Used as Host:
- American robins
- gray catbirds
- wood thrushes
- black-billed cuckoos
Conservation status 6
Yellow-billed cuckoos are protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act. They are threatened or endangered in many states. Yellow-billed cuckoos are common in some areas. However, in many areas they are becoming less common because the shrubby habitats that they like are being destroyed or changed. Some cuckoos also die by being poisoned by pesticides or by crashing into towers or tall buildings during migration.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
Habitat 7
Yellow-billed cuckoos live in open areas with some trees and dense shrubs. They are often found near streams, rivers or lakes. In North America, they live in habitats such as old farms and fruit orchards, shrubby fields and thickets. In winter, yellow-billed cuckoos live in tropical habitats with dense shrubs, such as scrub forest and mangroves.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; scrub forest
Other Habitat Features: agricultural ; riparian
Sources and Credits
- (c) Melissa McMasters, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/cricketsblog/24616840089/
- (c) Wikimedia Commons, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Coccyzus-americanus-001.jpg/460px-Coccyzus-americanus-001.jpg
- (c) Syd Phillips, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7332048650_44b64a9672_o.jpg
- Adapted by Natalie LaScala from a work by (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34818356
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31386867
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25064210
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/25064200
