# Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Scientific name: Coccyzus americanus

Bird group: [cuckoo](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/cuckoo)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/78/Yellow-billed-Cuckoo

## Identification

The yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is a cuckoo. 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.


## Distribution and habitat

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo occurs from the United States 
through South America 
including the West Indies, 
where one population consists 
of uncommon to rare breeding 
residents from May to August on 
Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, 
Jamaica, and the Virgin Islands (Raffaele and others 1998). 
Another population migrates 
south from North America 
during September and October 
and returns to the north during 
March and April (Raffaele and 
others 1998). As a migrant, it is 
common in the southern part of 
The Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, 
and Puerto Rico, while it is 
uncommon in the northern part 
of The Bahamas, the Cayman 
Islands, and Jamaica, and rare 
in the Virgin Islands (Raffaele 
and others 1998). It is described 
as a rare passage migrant in 
spring, and extremely rare in 
summer and fall on Vieques 
(Gemmill 2015). However, during 
migration and winter it can be found anywhere in the islands. 
This species usually inhabits 
dry forests and lowland scrub 
(Raffaele and others 1998), and 
it mostly occurs in dry coastal 
regions in Puerto Rico (Biaggi 
1997). The atlas fieldwork 
yielded a total of 44 records 
within 33 hexagons or 7 percent 
of the 479 total hexagons (see 
map). Of the 33 hexagons where 
this species was found, breeding 
met the atlas definition of 
confirmed in 3 percent (1) of the 
hexagons, probable in 6 percent 
(2), and possible in 64 percent 
(21), while the species was 
observed in 27 percent (9) of the 
hexagons but without evidence 
of breeding (see map). Yellow-billed Cuckoo distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.       69Yellow-billed Cuckoo/Pájaro Bobo Piquiamarillo

## Breeding

The Yellow-billed Cuckoo builds a cup-shaped nest made of twigs 
and dried grass, which is usually 
placed low in a bush (Raffaele 
and others 1998). Previously 
published reports indicate that 
it breeds from April to July 
(Raffaele and others 1998). Atlas 
results show that this species 
breeds mostly from April to 
August, with one record each in 
February and November, and a 
peak in May (see chart). Results show that this species breeds 
mostly within the subtropical 
dry forest life zone (79 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table), but 
it may also breed in subtropical 
moist forests (21 percent of the 
hexagons) (see table and map).

## Conservation

The current population trend of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is 
described as decreasing in North 
America (BirdLife International 
2016, Butcher and Niven 2007). This species is currently listed 
as a species of Least concern by 
the IUCN (BirdLife International 
2016). Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo has a 
protected habitat in land of 10 
percent or 58 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding was 
found for this species (575 km2). 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_078_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_078_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.