Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Rare
- Observations
- 2,770
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) is a New World species in the Cuculidae (cuckoo) family. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name, kokkuzo, means to call like a common cuckoo, and erythropthalmus is from eruthros, "red" and ophthalmos, "eye". It is very similar to, and overlaps in range with, the closely related yellow-billed cuckoo. A distinguishing characteristic of the family Cuculidae is laying eggs in the nests of other birds. Although many cuckoos are obligate brood parasites, C. erythropthalmus often incubate their own chicks.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Black-billed cuckoo”.