The yellow-billed cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo family. Common folk names for this bird in the southern United States are rain crow and storm crow. These likely refer to the bird's habit of calling on hot days, often presaging rain or thunderstorms. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek kokkuzo, which means to call like a common cuckoo, and americanus means "of America".
Region
North America and northern South America
Typical Environment
Breeds across much of the eastern and parts of the western United States, into southern Canada and northern Mexico, with highest densities in deciduous and riparian woodlands. Western birds favor cottonwood–willow gallery forests along rivers and streams. During the nonbreeding season it occurs from Central America into northern South America, including the Amazon Basin and Andean foothills. It uses thickets, woodland edges, and second-growth habitats where insect prey is abundant.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the rain crow or storm crow, it often calls before summer thunderstorms. It specializes in eating large, hairy caterpillars that many birds avoid, and can help curb insect outbreaks. Western populations have declined due to loss of riparian forests, while the species remains more common in the East. It undertakes a long migration to South America for the nonbreeding season.
Comparison of black-billed cuckoo (left) and yellow-billed cuckoo
Eating a spotted lanternfly
Temperament
secretive and unobtrusive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with glides through canopy
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs during breeding. Builds a flimsy stick nest in shrubs or trees; both sexes incubate and feed young. Occasionally lays eggs in the nests of other birds or conspecifics, but far less regularly than Old World cuckoos.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
A series of hollow, knocking kaowlp or kow-kow notes and accelerating cuk-cuk-cuk rattles, often given on hot days. Soft cooing and clucking calls are also used in close contact.
