Is the yellow-billed cuckoo rare?

Is British Columbia the northern limit of the yellow-billed cuckoo?

While preparing this updated account for Yellow-billed Cuckoo, RWC discovered that details for some of the published historical information were not accurately supported with documentation and were based on invalid assumptions and conjecture. Since the late 1800s, scores of publications have included British Columbia as the northern limit of th…

Are there two subspecies of the yellow-billed cuckoo?

Regardless of the uncertain subspecies taxonomy of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, we identified 20 specimens from British Columbia to subspecies (Table 1) because the behaviour and ecology of the two populations (east and west) are different (Hughes 1999) and information about the origin of individual cuckoos may provide insight into understanding pa…

Where do yellow billed cuckoos live in the US?

Historically, breeding western yellow-billed cuckoos occurred west of the Continental Divide, from British Columbia south into northern Mexico. They no longer occur in much of their historic range, but breed instead rarely and locally along rivers in Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

Is the western yellow-billed cuckoo a riparian obligate breeder?

Since many of British Columbia’s conservation priorities for wildlife include peripheral species (Bunnell et al. 2004) and Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo has a similar status and is a riparian obligate breeder, the subspecies merits a similar designation.

What does a black-billed cuckoo look like?

Comparison of black-billed cuckoo and yellow-billed cuckoo. Adults have a long tail, brown above and black-and-white below, and a black curved bill with yellow especially on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown and the underparts are white. There is a yellow ring around the eye. It shows cinnamon on the wings in flight.

What is the genus name of a cuckoo bird?

The genus name is from Ancient Greek kokkuzo, which means to call like a common cuckoo, and americana means “of America”. Adults have a long tail, brown above and black-and-white below, and a black curved bill with yellow especially on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown and the underparts are white.

Can you help bring the yellow-billed cuckoo back to the west?

Our Western Program, which is also focusing on Tricolored Blackbird, has made the Yellow-billed Cuckoo’s western population one of its top priorities. We welcome all and every effort to help us “bring back the birds.”

How do you identify a yellow-billed cuckoo?

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Identification. Adult. Large, slim birds with a long tail, a long yellow bill, and a hunchbacked appearance. From below, note large white spots on a black tail.

Where do yellow-billed cuckoos live?

Common in eastern North America, the yellow-billed cuckoo is becoming increasingly rare and local in much of the West. It breeds in open woodlands with dense undergrowth, riparian corridors, and parks.

What is a western yellow-billed cuckoo?

Secretive, except for its distinctive guttural call, the western yellow-billed cuckoo is an increasingly rare bird dependent on large patches of native streamside forest in the American West.

How are cuckoos affected by the Colorado River?

Water diversions, dams, and extended drought impacting southwestern river corridors have wiped out most of the cottonwood and willow forests that once lined the riverbanks—including the Colorado River and its many tributaries. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are still extremely vulnerable to additional habitat loss along streams and rivers.

How long do black billed cuckoos lay eggs?

Adults incubate the eggs for 10–13 days. The young black-billed cuckoos, as well as others cuckoos in the genus Coccyzus, leave the nest 7–9 days after hatching, which is quite young when compared to other birds. The young are not able to fly right away however they can still move quite large distances by jumping between tree branches.

What does a black and white cuckoo chick look like?

Black-billed cuckoo chicks have white, sparsely-distributed, sheath-like down that contrasts heavily with their black skin. They also have complex, creamy-colored structures on their mouth and tongue, which may appear like warts or some type of parasitic infection however they are normal for the species.

How to find a black billed cuckoo?

Black-billed Cuckoos are secretive and tend to perch motionless for long periods, so finding one can be tricky. Listen for their staccato cuckoo song, which sounds clearer with less of a knocking quality than the similar Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

Are cuckoos endangered?

As a result of these declines, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved a petition in 2001 to list the western yellow-billed cuckoo as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The ruling identified the declining birds as a Distinct Population Segment, rather than a subspecies, although it applied to the entire western population of cuckoos.

Are there any cuckoos in the Pacific Northwest?

Eastern yellow-billed cuckoo numbers have also declined, but not nearly as drastically. Western yellow-billed cuckoos are now gone from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, and most of the remaining birds are found in isolated patches of riparian habitat along rivers in Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

What do cuckoos sound like when they fly?

In open nesting areas, a bird flushed from the nest flutters away in a slow, wavering flight, flashing its rufous wing patches and white tail spots. Yellow-Billed Cuckoos have a primal-sounding, croaking call that they often give in response to loud noises.

What do yellow billed cuckoos eat?

Yellow-Billed Cuckoos are patient feeders, sitting motionless on hidden perches, often with shoulders hunched to disguise their white chest and belly as they wait for prey to move. They glean insects from leaves and may hop to the ground to chase lizards, frogs and grasshoppers, or sally out like a flycatcher to grab a flying insect.

How do yellow-billed cuckoos mate?

A receptive female perches with its head up, pumping its tail slowly up and down in a 180-degree arc. Just prior to mating, the male Yellow-Billed Cuckoo snaps off a short twig that he presents to the female as he perches on her back and leans over her shoulder. Both birds then grasp the twig as they copulate.

Are there yellow billed cuckoos in Washington?

Yellow-billed Cuckoos are officially considered extirpated in Washington, and the occasional sightings are vagrants. Historically, they nested along wooded rivers in eastern Washington, along the shores of Lake Washington (King County), in Tacoma (Pierce County), and in Whatcom County.

What kind of habitat do yellow-billed cuckoos live in?

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Life History. Habitat. Yellow-billed Cuckoos use wooded habitat with dense cover and water nearby, including woodlands with low, scrubby, vegetation, overgrown orchards, abandoned farmland, and dense thickets along streams and marshes.