The Puerto Rican lizard cuckoo is a species of bird in the tribe Phaenicophaeini, subfamily Cuculinae of the cuckoo family Cuculidae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico.
Region
Caribbean
Typical Environment
Endemic to Puerto Rico, it occupies a wide variety of wooded habitats including coastal scrub, dry forest, secondary growth, coffee plantations, and mangroves. It favors dense thickets and forest edges where it can move through vines and understory. It is less common in the highest, wettest montane forests but occurs broadly from lowlands to foothills. It adapts well to semi-open mosaics near human-modified areas if cover is available.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This long-tailed cuckoo is a stealthy predator that often hunts lizards, giving the group its name. Unlike many Old World cuckoos, it builds its own nest and raises its young rather than parasitizing other birds. It moves with cat-like agility through branches, often running and leaping more than flying. Its accelerating, clucking call is a signature sound of Puerto Rico’s woodlands.
Temperament
secretive but active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with glides; prefers running and leaping through branches
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, especially during the breeding season. It builds a shallow stick nest in dense vegetation and both parents tend the young. Clutches are small and nesting is often timed to peaks in prey availability.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, accelerating series of clucks or cackles that can carry far through forest. Also gives harsh kek-kek notes and rattling sequences during territory defense and pair communication.
