Woodpeckers, Doves & Other Land Birds
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
A shy, slender bird of leafy treetops, often called the "rain crow" because it tends to call before storms. It eats large hairy caterpillars that most birds avoid.
How to identify it
- Long and slender, brown above and white below
- Curved bill with a yellow lower half
- Rusty patches in the wings, visible in flight
- Long tail with large white spots underneath
- Hollow, knocking "ka-ka-ka-kow-kow-kowlp"
SizeBetween an American Robin and an American Crow
Song Sparrow6 in
American Robin10 in
Yellow-billed Cuckoo11 in
American Crow19 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 10–12 in long; wingspan 15–17 in
- Weight
- 1.9–2.3 oz
- Habitat
- Leafy woodlands, river forests and overgrown orchards
- When to see it
- Summer across the East and parts of the West; winters in South America
- Diet
- Caterpillars, cicadas, other large insects
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Eats large caterpillars, especially hairy tent caterpillars, plus cicadas, katydids and some fruit.
Nesting
A flimsy platform of twigs in a shrub or tree.
- Clutch
- 2–4 eggs
- Incubation
- 9–11 days
- Young
- Leave the nest at 7–9 days
- Broods
- 1–2 per year
Behavior
Sits still for long periods in dense leaves. Sometimes lays eggs in other birds' nests.
Conservation
Declining; the western population is listed as threatened.
Cool facts
- Its young develop so fast they can leave the nest about a week after hatching.
- It sheds the lining of its stomach to get rid of caterpillar hairs.
- It's nicknamed the "rain crow" for calling before storms.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Yellow-billed Cuckoo
▶Video coming soon
