Meet The Yellow-billed Cuckoo

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is a slender bird that breeds in the Eastern United States and migrates to South America in the nonbreeding season. This bird lives in wooded areas near water, and tends to hunch and sit still on tree branches, waiting for its prey to move. This bird is often identified by its primal, croaking call, often heard after thunder, giving them the name “rain crow.” The most important part of this species’ lives is likely its diet, which consists of insects, but on the East coast especially, tent caterpillars. These little buggers often completely defoliate the trees that their habitats are built on. The yellow-billed cuckoo is one of the only birds that eats these types of worms, and therefore helps to maintain and preserve the riparian forests present in the eastern United States. This species can eat up to 100 caterpillars in one sitting! The yellow-billed cuckoo is an important species for riparian forests and while considered a common species in our area, they are in sharp decline due to habitat loss. ACWA has been busy planting trees in local riparian areas but more must be done to save this important bird species. To learn more about the yellow-billed cuckoo, visit: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/yellow-billed-cuckoo  

This Wildlife Wednesday post provided by Zander Hine, ACWA Student Board Member