Chestnut-bellied cuckoo

Coccyzus pluvialis

Photo by Dominic Sherony (Wikipedia)

Common name:
chestnut-bellied cuckoo (en); cuco-das-chuvas (pt); tacco de pluie (fr); cuco picogordo de Jamaica (es); regenkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Jamaica, being found throughout the island.

Size:
These birds are 48-56 cm long and weigh about 130 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut-bellied cuckoo is mostly found in moist tropical forests, also using secondary forests and high altitude scrublands. they are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on large insects and their larvae, but also take lizards, mice and bird eggs and nestlings.

Breeding:
Chestnut-bellied cuckoos are not brood parasites. They nest in a shallow saucer made of twigs and placed on a tree. The female lays 2-4 white eggs. There is no information regarding the incubation period, but the chicks fledge 8-13 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relativelly large breeding range, but is described as uncommon. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.