Little Cuckoo

Overview

The little cuckoo (Coccycua minuta) is a species of bird in the cuckoo family (Cuculidae) found across South America and Panama. It is a small, shy species that is generally considered an all-year resident, though its irregular presence in some areas has led to speculation about seasonal short-distance migrations.

Identification

• Approximately 27 cm long and weighing around 40 g, it is smaller with a darker throat than the squirrel cuckoo.
• Adults are mainly chestnut brown with a greyish lower belly, a browner tail with white tips, a short decurved yellow bill, and red irises.
• Immature birds are dark brown with a black bill and lack the white tail tips seen in adults.
• It produces harsh chek and kak calls.

Habitat

This species ranges from Panama and Trinidad south through Colombia to Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil. It inhabits mangrove swamps and scrubby woodland near water, with records in Ecuador reaching up to 1,900 metres above sea level.

Diet

The little cuckoo forages in low branches for insects and other arthropods, typically keeping to cover as it feeds.

Did you know?

Like most American cuckoos, the female incubates her own eggs, laying two in a deep cup nest constructed in a tree or bamboo.