Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, no location given, June 2015. Melissa McMasters. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Columbia Bottom Conservation Area, 2013, Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO

Coccyzus americanus

Identification: 
This blue-jay sized bird is slim and long, with a brown back, white front, and long tail with large round white spots.  The bill (almost as long as the head) curves downward and is mostly yellow with some dark areas on top. Male and female are similar.

Behavior:
The Yellow-Billed Cuckoo sits patiently amid foliage, gleaning for caterpillars and sometimes making its "kuk kuk" sound.  It nests relatively late in the season and not only tends its own young but parasitizes other species' nests as well.  Its young mature very fast and when about a week old their feather sheaths burst open; within a couple of hours they are fully feathered.

What brings it to the SBG?
Food, cover, nesting sites.  Both adults and young consume mainly caterpillars of many insect species, so SBG's caterpillar friendly habitat suits them.  Also, in the East they prefer wooded areas with open places, using trees and dense shrub cover for nesting sites.

When can I see it?
Late spring to late September. This bird migrates to South America.  It is considered a "common bird in steep decline" so opportunities to see it may be increasingly rare.