Pheasant coucal

Centropus phasianinus

Photo by James Niland (Flickr)

Common name:
pheasant coucal (en); cucal-faisão (pt); coucal faisan (fr); cucal faisán (es); fasanspornkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in northern and eastern Australia, as far south as Sidney, and also in the lowlands of Papua New-Guinea and in the island of Timor both in Timor Leste and Indonesia.

Size:
These birds are 50-80 cm long and weigh 200-500 g.

Habitat:
The pheasant coucal is found in moist tropical forests, tropical scrublands, mangroves, riverine vegetation and the margins of swamps and marshes.

Diet:
They forage on the ground, taking large insects such as grasshoppers, stink bugs, mantids, stick insects and caterpillars, mus crabs, frogs, lizards, the eggs and young of other birds, and sometimes also small mammals.

Breeding:
Pheasant coucals breed in September-May. They are monogamous and form long lasting pairs. The nest is built mainly be the male and consists of bowl or a platform of sticks, grass or rushes, lined with leaves and grasses. It is placed among tall grasses or scrubs and the stems overhead are often tied together to make a canopy. The female lays 2-5 white eggs, which the male incubates alone for 15 days. The chicks are mainly fed by the male, but with some help from the female, and fledge about 13 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common near the coast, but rarer near arid areas. Trend justification: The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo

Surniculus dicruroides

Photo by Vijay Ismavel (Flickr)

Common name:
fork-tailed drongo-cuckoo (en); cuco-drongo-de-cauda-forcada (pt): surnicou à queue fourchue (fr); cuclillo-drongo de cola furcada (es); gabelschwanz-drongokuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species breeds in most of India, with the exception of the north-western part of the country, and through Nepal and Bangladesh into northern Myanmar, northern Vietnam and southern China. The eastern populations migrate south to winter in Indochina and western Indonesia.

Size:
This species are about 25 cm long and weigh around 35 g.

Habitat:
The fork-tailed drongo is found in moist tropical forests, mangroves, dry tropical scrublands and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.100 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects and other arthropods, and possibly also some fruits.

Breeding:
There is no available information on the reproduction of this species.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range but the population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

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.

White-browed coucal

Centropus superciliosus

Photo by Eric van Poppel (Internet Bird Colletion)

Common name:
white-browed coucal (en); cucal-de-sobrancelhas-brancas (pt); coucal à sourcils blancs (fr); cucal cejiblanco (es); tiputip (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found from the south-western Arabian Peninsula, through south-eastern Sudan, Erithrea and Ethiopia, across East Africa, through southern D.R. Congo into Angola, and through eastern Zimbabwe and Mozambique into eastern and southern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 36-42 cm long and weighs 160-180 g.

Habitat:
The white-browed coucal is found in dry savannas, tall moist grasslands, marshes, scrub dominated wetlands, freshwater lakes and rivers. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.800 m.

Diet:
They feed on large insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, locusts and beetles, as well as spiders, snails, crabs, lizards, snakes, frogs, mice and small birds up to the size of doves.

Breeding:
White-browed coucals can breed all year round, varying among different parts of their range. The nest is a large, untidy spherical structure, made of grass blades and stems and lined with leaves and roots. It is placed up to 10 m above the ground in reeds, scrubs or trees. The female lays 3-5 white eggs which are mainly incubated by the male for 14-18 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-20 days after hatching.

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

Chestnut-breasted malkoha

Phaenicophaeus curvirostris

Photo by Lip Kee Yap (Wikipedia)

Common name:
chestnut-breasted malkoha (en); malcoa-de-peito-castanho (pt); malcoha rouverdin (fr); malcoha pechicastaño (es); schimmerkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Thailand and Myanmar, through peninsular Malaysia and into Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali in Indonesia, and Palawan in the Philippines.

Size:
These birds are 42-49 cm long and weigh about 120 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut-breasted malkoha is found in moist tropical forests, mangroves, dry tropical scrublands, second growths, rural gardens and plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects, including caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, beetles, cockroaches, stick insects, mantids and bugs, as well as spiders, small crabs, and small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs and young birds.

Breeding:
Unlike most cuckoos, chestnut-breasted malkohas raise their own young. They can breed all year round, varying between different parts of their range. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a large bowl made of branches and twigs lined with leaves. The female lays 2-3 matte white eggs which are incubated by both parents for about 13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge around 11 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be fairly common to common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Fan-tailed cuckoo

Cacomantis flabelliformis

(Photo from Tom Clark - Beyond the Pale)

Common name:
fan-tailed cuckoo (en); cuco-de-cauda-em-leque (pt); coucou à éventail (fr); cuco flabeliforme (es); fächerschwanzkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in southern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, the Salomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Size:
These birds are 24-28 cm long and weigh about 50-60 g.

Habitat:
The fan-tailed cuckoo is found in open forests and woodlands, in both temperate and tropical areas, dry scrublands and mangroves.

Diet:
They hunt insects and their larvae, particularly caterpillars, by sallying out from a perch.

Breeding:
Fan-tailed cuckoos breed in June-December. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs on the nests of other birds, such as flycatchers, fairy-wrens, scrubwrens and thornbills, particularly the brown thornbill Acanthiza pusilla. The female lays a single egg in each nests, removing one of the host's eggs at the same time. The egg in incubated by the hosts and hatches after 13 days, before the host's eggs start hatching. The chick will eject the other eggs or hatchlings from the nest and is fed by the hosts until fledging.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common in much of this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Thick-billed cuckoo

Pachycoccyx audeberti

Photo by Chris Perkins (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
thick-billed cuckoo (en); cuco-de-bico-grosso (pt); coucou d'Audebert (fr); críalo piquigrueso (es); dickschnabelkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, being patchily distributed from Guinea to D.R. Congo and Angola, and more widespread in East Africa from Uganda and Kenya south to Mozambique and Botswana, and marginally into north-eastern South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 36 cm long and weigh 115 g.

Habitat:
The thick-billed cuckoo is found in moist tropical forests and dry savannas, as well as in riparian forests.

Diet:
They feed mainly on caterpillars, but also take grasshoppers and mantids.

Breeding:
Thick-billed cuckoos are polygamous and brood parasites. They breed in September-April. After mating the female lays 1 egg on the nest of the host, almost invariably the Retz's helmetshrike Prionops retzii. The egg is incubated by the hosts for 13 days. The chick ejects any other eggs or nestlings within 4 days of hatching. It is fed by the hosts and fledges 28-30 days after hatching but only becomes fully independent some 50 days later.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be uncommon to rare throughout this range. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, but the thick-billed cuckoo is not considered threatened at present.

Asian koel

Eudynamys scolopaceus

(Photo from Top Yaps)

Common name:
Asian koel (en); cuco-koel (pt); coucou koël (fr); koel común (es); koel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in south-eastern Asia, from southern Pakistan, through India, Bangladesh and Indochina, and into southern and eastern China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Size:
These large cuckoos are 39-46 cm long and weigh 190-330 g.

Habitat:
The Asian koel is found in tropical rainforests and scrublands, plantations, rural garden and within urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They are omnivorous, taking fruits, various insects, eggs and small vertebrates.

Breeding:
Asian koels are brood parasites, laying their egg on the nests of other birds such as crows Corvus sp., mynas Acridotheres sp., black drongos Dicrurus macrocercus, Eurasian magpie Pica pica and black-headed orioles Oriolus larvatus, among others. The female lays a single egg on each nest, sometimes while the male distracts the host. The egg is incubates by the hosts for 12-14 days. Unlike other cuckoos, the chick will not try to kill the host's chicks. It is mostly fed by the hosts, although in some cases the mother also provides him food, and fledges 20-28 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species ha a very large breeding range and is described as common throughout most of its range, although less common in the Greater Sundas. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Guira cuckoo

Guira guira

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:
guira cuckoo (en); anu-branco (pt); guira cantara (fr); pirincho (es); guirakuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found from north-eastern Brazil to Bolivia and south to central Argentina.

Size:
These birds are 34-40 cm long and weigh about 140 g.

Habitat:
The guira cuckoo is mostly found in mixed dry savannas and scrublands and degraded patches of former tropical forest, but also in grasslands and inland wetlands. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
They feed on large arthropods, such as grasshoppers, cicadas, termite alates, bugs, spiders, millipedes and caterpillars, and also frogs, bird eggs and chicks, small lizards and mice.

Breeding:
Guira cuckoos breed during the local rainy season. They breed in groups of several pair, with multiple females laying their eggs in the same nest. The nest is a large platform made of sticks, placed on a fork in a tree, 2-5 m above the ground. A nest can have 10-20 grey to turquoise eggs covered with a white chalky layer. The eggs are incubated by several adults for 10-15 days. The chicks are fed by several adults and fledge about 2 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common.  The population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat.

Dideric cuckoo

Chrysococcyx caprius

Photo by Adam Riley (Stellenbosch Birds)

Common name:
dideric cuckoo (en); cuco-bronzeado-maior (pt); coucou didric (fr); cuclillo didric (es); goldkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from southern Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan to South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 18-20 cm long and weigh about 35 g.

Habitat:
The dideric cuckoo is generally found along the edges of tropical forests, dry savannas and scrublands, hot deserts, rural gardens and parks. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 2.400 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on caterpillars, but also termites and sometimes the eggs of their hosts.

Breeding:
Dideric cuckoos breed in October-March. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs on the nests of other birds, namely weavers, sparrows, wagtails, tit-babblers, buntings, cisticolas, robins and flycatchers. They remove the eggs of the host and lay 1-2 eggs per nest, laying up to 24 eggs per breeding season. The eggs are incubated by the hosts for 19-22 days and within 3 days of hatching the chicks eats any other eggs or chicks that were not present at the time of laying. The chicks fledge 21-24 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and is reported to be generally common throughout much of this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Black-billed cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus

Photo by JimFenton (Birds of the Bible for Kids)

Common name:
black-billed cuckoo (en); cuco-de-bico-preto (pt); coulicou à bec noir (fr); cuclillo  piquinegro (es); schwarzschnabelkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found breeding in southern Canada, from Alberta east to Quebec, and in the eastern United States, from Montana to Maine and south to Texas and South Caroline. They migrate south to winter in Venezuela, Colombia and through Ecuador and Peru into Bolivia and extreme western Brazil.

Size:
These birds are 28-31 cm long and have a wingspan of 34-40 cm. They weigh 40-65 g.

Habitat:
The black-billed cuckoo is found breeding in woodlands such as aspen, poplar, birch, sugar maple, hickory, hawthorn, and willow, and also in scrublands, especially near rivers, streams and lakes. They winter in tropical forests and scrublands. This species occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 2.000 m.

Diet:
They are omnivorous, mainly eating large insects, such as cicadas, caterpillars, katydids, butterflies, grasshoppers, beetles, bugs, dragonflies and crickets, but also the eggs of other birds, fruits and seeds, and also snails, aquatic larvae and even fish.

Breeding:
Black-billed cuckoos breed in May-September. They are monogamous and both sexes help build the nest, which consists of a shallow cup made of twigs and grasses and lined with dead or green leaves, pine needles, stalks, plant fibres, rootlets, mosses, and spider webs. It is placed among the leaves of a tree or scrub, up to 2 m above the ground. The female lays 2-5 greenish-blue eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 10-11 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 16-17 days after hatching and become independent 1 weeks later. Each pair raise 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status -  LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range. There is no reliable population estimate, but the population has undergone a small decrease over the last 4 decades.

Oriental cuckoo

Cuculus optatus

Photo by Tom Tarrant (Wikipedia)

Common name:
oriental cuckoo (en); cuco-oriental (pt); coucou oriental (fr); cuco de Horsfield (es); Horsfieldkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species breeds across most of Russia, in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, northern China, Korea and Japan. They migrate south to winter from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines to northern and eastern Australia and northern New Zealand.

Size:
These birds are 30-32 cm long and have a wingspan of 51-57 cm. They weigh 75-155 g.

Habitat:
The oriental cuckoo breeds in various forest habitats, including mixed, deciduous and coniferous forests in temperate and boreal areas and tropical moist mountain forests. Outside the breeding season they are found in tropical moist mountain forests and in scrublands. This species is present from sea level up to an altitude of 4.500 m.

Diet:
They forage both on the ground and in the vegetation, eating adult and larval insects, especially caterpillars.

Breeding:
Oriental cuckoos are brood parasites, laying their eggs on the nests of other birds, who then incubate and feed the young. Their main hosts are Phylloscopus warblers, such as Arctic warbler P. borealis, eastern crowned warbler P. coronatus, willow warbler P. trochilus and chiffchaff P. collybita, and also olive-backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni and Asian stubtail Urosphena squameiceps. The eggs vary in colour, sometimes mimicking those of the host species, and are incubated by the hosts for 12 days. A few days after hatching the young cuckoo pushes the eggs or young of the host out of the nest, to monopolize the food provided by the adults. It fledges 17–19 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range. Although the global population size has not been quantified, in Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 750.000-1.500.000 individuals, even though this represents less than 5% of their global range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Common cuckoo

Cuculus canorus

Photo by Chris Romeiks (Vogelart)

Common name:
common cuckoo (en); cuco-canoro (pt); coucou gris (fr); cuco común (es); kuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found breeding throughout Europe, with the exception of Iceland, and in most of northern and central Asia as far east as Japan and as far south as Iran, northern India and southern China. There are also breeding population in north-west Africa, in Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia. They migrate south to winter in sub-Saharan Africa, India and south-east Asia.

Size:
These birds are 32-34 cm long and have a wingspan of 55-60 cm. The males weigh 110-140 g and the females weigh 95-115 g.

Habitat:
The common cuckoo is found in a wide range of habitats, including temperate and tropical forests, savannas, scrublands, grasslands, pastures, marshes and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.800 m.

Diet:
They mainly feed on adult and larval insects, but will also take spiders and worms.

Breeding:
Common cuckoos are brood parasites, laying their eggs on the nests of other birds. There are over 100 reported hosts, including many common passerines such as reed warblers Acrocephalus sp., meadow pipit Anthus pratensis, white wagtail Motacilla alba, European robin Erithacus rubecula or common redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus. Each female specializes in a particular host species and lays up to 12 eggs in 12 different nests, the eggs being similar to those of the host species. The cuckoo's egg is incubated by the host and hatches after 11-13 days, before the host's eggs start to hatch. The chick will roll the other eggs out of the nest by pushing them with its back over the edge. The chick is fed by its host until fledging, which takes place 17-21 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 25-100 million individuals. In Europe, the population has undergone a moderate decline since the 1980s, but overall the common cuckoo is not threatened at present.

African cuckoo

Cuculus gularis

Photo by Nancy Bell (Mango Verde)

Common name:
African cuckoo (en); cuco-africano (pt); coucou africain (fr); cuco barbiblanco (es); Afrikanerkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found in most of sub-Saharan Africa, only being absent from parts of D.R. Congo, Somalia, southern Namibia and south-western South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 30-33 cm long and weigh 100-110 g.

Habitat:
African cuckoos are mostly found in dry savannas, but also in dry scrublands and grasslands. they tend to avoid evergreen forests.

Diet:
They mainly feed on caterpillars, collected amongst the foliage of trees and shrubs, but will also take beetles, grasshoppers, termites, ant alates and even the eggs and nestlings of other birds.

Breeding:
African cuckoos breed in September-December. They are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, namely the fork-tailed drongo Dicrurus adsimilis. Often the male distracts the host while the female flies into its nest, removes any existing eggs and lays 1 of her own. The egg is incubated by the host for 11-17 days. The chicks removes any existing eggs from the nest and is fed by the host until it fledges, about 23 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and is reported to be fairly common throughout its range, especially within protected areas. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Coquerel's coua

Coua coquereli

Photo by Jonas Rosquist (PBase)

Common name:
Coquerel's coua (en); cúa-de-Coquerel (pt); coua de Coquerel (fr); cúa de Coquerel (es); Coquerel-seidenkuckuck (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae


Range:
This species is endemic to Madagascar, being found in the western and northern parts of the country.


Size:
These birds are 40-45 cm long and weigh around 160 g.


Habitat:
The Coquerel's coua is found in dry forests, dry scrublands, and along the margins of semi-deserts, from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.


Diet:
They mainly eat adult and larval arthropods, such as beetles, grasshoppers, moths, caterpillars and spiders, but will also eat some fruits and seeds.


Breeding:
Coquerel's couas breed in November-April. They are monogamous and pair bonds are kept over several years. Both sexes build the nest, a bulky cup made of twigs, petioles and bark, placed in dense vegetation, scrubs, lianas or trees, 2-11 m above the ground. The female lays 1-2 eggs which are incubated for a minimum of 13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 9-10 days after hatching, but are not able to fly yet. They remain with the parents for another 2 months before becoming independent.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a restricted breeding range, but is described as common within this range. At present, the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats, but large scale habitat destruction and hunting may become a threat in the long-term.

Greater coucal

Centropus sinensis

Photo by J.M. Garg (Wikipedia)

Common name:
greater coucal (en); cucal-real (pt); grand coucal (fr); cucal grande (es); heckenkuckuck (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae


Range:
This species is found in southern Asia, from India to southern China and Indonesia.


Size:
This large cuckoo is 47-53 cm long and weighs 230-270 g.


Habitat:
The greater coucal is found in a wide range of habitats, including dry grasslands and scrublands, forests edges, mangroves, freshwater marshes, river banks and rural gardens. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.


Diet:
They feed on large insects and caterpillars, snails, small mammals, lizards, bird eggs and nestlings, fruits and seeds.


Breeding:
Greater coucals breed mostly in June-September. The male builds the nest, a large globular mass of grasses, leaves and twigs. It is placed in dense vegetation inside tangles of creepers, bamboo clump or Pandanus crowns, up to 6 m above the ground. The female lays 3-6 chalky white eggs, which are incubated by both parents for 15-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 18-22 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be common almost everywhere throughout its range. Overall the species is believed to be stable, but some populations are locally threatened by habitat loss.

Yellow-billed cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Common name:

yellow-billed cuckoo (en); papa-lagarta-de-asa-vermelha (pt); coulicoi à bec jaune (fr); cuclillo piquigualdo (es); gelbschnabelkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Cuculiformes

Family Cuculidae

Range:

These birds are found breeding throughout most of the United States, in south-eastern Canada, northern Mexico and the Greater Antilles. They migrate south to winter in South America, mostly east of the Andes and south of the Amazon basin, in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina.

Size:

The yellow-billed cuckoo is 26-32 cm long and has a wingspan of 43 cm. They weigh 55-65 g.

Habitat:

They typically breed in open woodlands with clearings and a dense shrub layer, often near streams, rivers or lakes. They are also found in abandoned farmland, old fruit orchards, successional scrubland and dense thickets. During winter they occur in moist savannas, mangroves and scrub forests.

Diet:

Yellow-billed cuckoos are mostly insectivorous, taking caterpillars, cicadas, grasshoppers and crickets. They also occasionally eat bird eggs, snails, small lizards, frogs and even fruits and seeds.

Breeding:

Although some yellow-billed cuckoos may lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, they most often raise their own chicks. They are believed to be monogamous and breed in May-August. Both sexes build the nest, which is made of twigs, lined with roots and dried leaves, and rimmed with pine needles. The nest is placed in a tree or scrub, 1-4 m above the ground. The female lays 2-3 light blue eggs which are incubated by both parents for 9-11 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 7-9 days after hatching, but only become independent 2 weeks later.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and has a global population estimated at 9 million individuals. The population seems to have undergone a small decline, becoming increasingly rare in Canada and the north-western United States.

Greater ani

Crotophaga major

Photo by Cláudio Timm (Encyclopedia of Life)

Common name:

greater ani (en); anu-coroca (pt); ani des palétuviers (fr); garrapatero (es); riesenani (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Cuculiformes

Family Cuculidae

Range:

These birds are found from Panama and Trinidad, across much of tropical South America east of the Andes and down to northern Argentina.

Size:

Greater anis are 46-48 cm long and weigh 130-230 g.

Habitat:

They occur in forested lowlands adjacent to water, particularly those with partly inundated banks and sluggish or standing water. This includes bamboo stands and mangroves, flooded forest, gallery forest, swamps, marshes, and lake and creek edges. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 800 m.

Diet:

The greater ani mostly eats insects, particularly Orthoptera, Phasmatodea, Odonata, Lepidoptera, Blattodea, and Coleoptera. They will also take fruits, berries, Euphorbia seeds, arachnids, small lizards, small frogs and, occasionally, fishes.

Breeding:

These birds breed in April-December. They are communal nesters, with groups of 2-4 socially monogamous pairs using the same nest. These groups sometimes also include helpers, typically young birds from the previous year. The nest is a bulky, open-cup structure of small sticks, usually placed in isolated emergent vegetation near the shore, or in branches of shoreline vegetation that extend several meters over the water. There, each female lays 3-7 blue eggs. The eggs are uniformly coated with a white, chalky layer of vaterite, which disappears during the incubation process. The eggs are incubated by all members of the group for 11-12 days. The chicks are fed and brooded by all group members and fledge 8-10 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 6 weeks later.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range. Although the global population size has not been quantified, this species is described as fairly common and seems to be locally abundant in areas of appropriate habitat, particularly in upper Amazonia. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

African emerald cuckoo

Chrysococcyx cupreus

Photo by Jonas Rosquit (PBase)

Common name:

African emerald cuckoo (en); cuco-esmeraldino (pt); coucou foliotocol (fr); cuco esmeralda (es); smaragdkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Cuculiformes

Family Cuculidae

Range:

This species occurs throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding extremely arid areas. They are found from Senegal, across Mali and Nigeria and into Sudan and Ethiopia, and south all the way to South Africa. This species is also present in the São Tomé and Príncipe archipelago.

Size:

The African emerald cuckoo is 22 cm long and weighs 35 g.

Habitat:

It generally prefers evergreen and riparian forest, dense woodland and moist savanna, occasionally moving into well-wooded suburbs.

Diet:

African emerald cuckoos do most of their foraging in the middle and upper forest canopy. They mostly eat caterpillars and grasshoppers, supplemented with adult Acraea butterflies and fruits such as the wild peach Kiggeleria africana.

Breeding:

They are promiscuous, territorial brood parasites. Each male defends a display territory and mates with multiple females, which then lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Their hosts include the green-backed camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura, the white-starred robin Pogonocichla stellata, the yellow-throated woodland-warbler Phylloscopus ruficapilla and the black-throated wattle-eye Platysteira peltata. They breed in October-January and each female lays a single egg in each host nest, after destroying one host egg, for a total of about 20 eggs over the whole breeding season. The eggs are incubated by the hosts for about 16 days. The chick kicks out any of the host's eggs or nestlings at about 2 days of age, and fledges about 22 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The African emerald cuckoo has an extremely large breeding range and is reported to be fairly common. Despite ongoing destruction of riparian and lowland forest across their range, the population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.