The Jamaican lizard cuckoo is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.
Region
Caribbean (Jamaica)
Typical Environment
Occurs throughout Jamaica in a variety of wooded habitats, including dry limestone forest, moist evergreen forest, second growth, and forest edges. It also uses thickets, plantations, and overgrown pastures where dense cover and foraging perches are available. The species is largely arboreal but will descend to the ground to pursue prey. It tolerates moderate disturbance and can occur near human-modified landscapes, provided tree cover remains. Breeding territories are typically in well-vegetated areas with mid-story structure.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Jamaican lizard cuckoo is a long-tailed, arboreal cuckoo that hunts by running and bounding through branches, often flashing its rufous wings. True to its name, it frequently preys on anoles and other small reptiles, as well as large insects. Unlike many Old World cuckoos, it builds its own nest and raises its young. It is often heard before seen, giving loud rolling calls in forested habitats.
Temperament
elusive and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with gliding; low, undulating bursts
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, moving deliberately through mid-story and canopy. Builds a platform nest of twigs in trees or dense shrubs; both sexes participate in incubation and chick-rearing. Territorial during the breeding season and may give display chases through foliage.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include a loud rolling series of cuk or cluck notes that accelerate and sometimes rise in pitch. Also gives harsh clacks and rattling calls from concealed perches, often at dawn and dusk.
Plumage
Upperparts gray-brown with a pale gray throat and breast grading to buffy underparts; wings show rich rufous primaries that are conspicuous in flight. The long, graduated tail is dark with bold white tips on the underside. Feathers are sleek, giving a smooth, streamlined appearance.
Diet
Feeds primarily on anoles and other small lizards, supplemented by large insects such as grasshoppers, katydids, beetles, and caterpillars. Will also take spiders, small frogs, and occasionally small vertebrate nestlings. Prey is stalked along branches and trunks, then seized in rapid lunges; it may beat larger prey against branches before swallowing.
Preferred Environment
Forages in mid-story and canopy of forests, forest edges, and dense thickets. Also hunts along woodland margins, coffee and shade plantations, and overgrown clearings where vines and tangles provide cover.
