The grey-capped cuckoo is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, as a vagrant on Bonaire and in the Galápagos Islands, and possibly in Panama.
Region
Northern South America
Typical Environment
Occurs from northern Colombia and Venezuela south into western Ecuador and northwestern Peru, with occasional vagrants to offshore islands including Bonaire and the Galápagos. It frequents dry to semi-deciduous forest, thorn scrub, second growth, hedgerows, and mangroves, often along edges and clearings. The species also uses gallery forest and riparian thickets and may visit plantations and overgrown pastures. It is typically scarce and local, often overlooked due to its quiet, skulking behavior.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Grey-capped Cuckoo is a scarce and often secretive New World cuckoo that favors scrub and edge habitats in northern South America. It occasionally wanders widely, with vagrant records to islands such as Bonaire and the Galápagos. Like many Coccyzus cuckoos, it specializes on hairy caterpillars that many other birds avoid. It typically builds its own flimsy twig nest rather than relying on brood parasitism.
Temperament
shy and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, keeping to dense cover and moving methodically through foliage. Builds a flimsy twig platform nest low to mid-level in shrubs or small trees. Both sexes likely share incubation and chick-rearing duties, as in related Coccyzus species.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Gives soft series of cooing and clucking notes, often from within cover. Calls can include accelerating kuk or cuk notes and low croaks. Vocalizations are unobtrusive and easily missed.
Plumage
Slender cuckoo with a smooth gray crown and nape, warm brown upperparts, and a pale throat grading to buffy to rufous underparts. Long graduated tail is dark with prominent white tips on the outer feathers. Wings are brownish with some rufous tones; overall appearance is sleek with fine, satiny feathering.
Diet
Primarily eats insects, especially caterpillars, including hairy species avoided by many birds. Also takes beetles, grasshoppers, and other arthropods gleaned from foliage and branches. Occasionally consumes small lizards or frogs and may supplement with small berries.
Preferred Environment
Forages in the mid-story and understory of scrub, forest edge, and secondary growth, often along thickets and riparian corridors. Frequently moves quietly through dense vegetation, gleaning prey from leaves and twigs and making short sallies.
