Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

Identification & Behavior: ~27.5 cm (11 in). The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is gray above and white below. The bill is mostly yellow-orange. The webbing in the primary flight feathers is rufous. The tail is long, dark, with large white tips. It is distinguished from the Black-billed Cuckoo, by the yellow-orange bill, rufous webbing on the wings, and dark tail and large white tips. Also, see Dark-billed Cuckoo.

Status: The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a rare Boreal migrant generally present in Peru during the months of October through May. It winters mostly in the Amazonian lowlands but reaches elevations of up to 1200 m along the foothill of the Andes. It is also rare in the coastal lowlands west of the Andes and adjacent Andean foothills. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Cuclillo de Pico Amarillo.

Sub-species: Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus americanus), Linnaeus, 1758.

Meaning of Name: Coccyzus: Gr. kokkuzö, kokku= crying, crying cuckoo. americanus= originating from or referring to the continent of America.

See more of the Family Cuculidae