Alternative name: Lesser Chestnut Cuckoo
- Coccycua minuta
Identification
25 cm (9¾ in)
- Chestnut upperparts
- Rufous-chestnut throat and breast
- Dark grey lower belly
- Brown tail with white terminal spots
- Red iris and eyering
- Greyish-yellow bill
Immature birds are dark brown with a black bill and lack the white tail tips.
Distribution
Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil.
Taxonomy
This species has alternatively been placed in genus Piaya or genus Coccycua.
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- C. m. panamensis:
- C. m. barinensis:
- Extreme eastern Colombia and adjacent western Venezuela
- C. m. gracilis:
- Colombia west of the Andes and western Ecuador
- C. m. minuta:
- C. m. chaparensis:
- North Bolivia (Río Chaparé region)
Habitat
Tropical lowland forest edges, secondary forests and clearings. Mature mangrove swamps, and scrubby woodland near water.
Behaviour
Breeding
They construct an open, deep twig cup nest, which is placed in thick shrubs. Their clutch contains 2 white eggs.
Diet
Diet consists mostly of insects, including caterpillars, wasps, beetles, bugs, flies, as well as spiders.
Reference
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2018)
- AOU checklist
- SACC proposal
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Little Cuckoo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Cuckoo
