# Mangrove Cuckoo

Scientific name: Coccyzus minor

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

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/80/Mangrove-Cuckoo

## Identification

The mangrove cuckoo (Coccyzus minor) is a species of cuckoo that is native to the Neotropics.
Adults have a long tail, brown above and black-and-white below, and a black curved bill with yellow on the lower mandible. The head and upper parts are brown. There is a yellow ring around the eye.  This bird is best distinguished by its black facial mask and buffy underparts. Although the scientific name is minor (meaning "small"), this species is on average the largest of North America's three Coccyzus cuckoos. Adults measure 28–34 cm (11–13 in) in length, weigh 64–102 g (2.3–3.6 oz) and span 38–43 cm (15–17 in) across the wings. The most common call heard is a guttural "gawk gawk gawk gawk gauk gauk".  It will also call a single "whit".


## Distribution and habitat

The Mangrove Cuckoo occurs from south Florida in the United 
States through Central America 
and northern South America 
including the West Indies, where 
it is generally a common resident 
throughout most of the islands 
(Raffaele and others 1998). It is 
common and fairly abundant 
throughout Puerto Ricos 
mainland at all elevations (Biaggi 
1997). It is also known to inhabit 
satellite islands such as Desecheo 
(Meier and others 1989), Culebra 
(Wetmore 1917), Mona (Barnés 
1946, Bowdish 1902, Gordon 
and others 1961, Terborgh and 
Faaborg 1973), and Vieques 
(Sorrié 1975, Wetmore 1916), in the latter being a common 
resident throughout the year 
(Gemmill 2015). This species 
generally inhabits mangroves 
and mangrove swamps, coffee 
plantations, thickets (Raffaele 
1989a), limestone hills, coastal 
scrub, and mountain forests 
(Oberle 2018). The atlas 
fieldwork yielded a total of 513 
records within 306 hexagons 
or 64 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 306 
hexagons where this species 
was found, breeding met the 
atlas definition of confirmed in 
7 percent (20) of the hexagons, 
probable in 17 percent (51), 
and possible in 77 percent (235) 
(see map).Mangrove 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.       71Mangrove Cuckoo/Pájaro Bobo Menor

## Breeding

The Mangrove Cuckoo builds a fl imsy nest made of dry twigs 
and sticks, usually placed on 
a horizontal limb in a tree or 
bush (Biaggi 1997, Oberle 
2018, Raffaele and others 1998). 
Previously published reports 
indicate that it breeds from 
February to June (Raffaele and 
others 1998). Atlas results show 
that this species breeding season 
extends throughout the year 
with the most breeding activity 
from March to June (see chart). 
Overall, the breeding activity 
peaks in May at the onset of the rainy season, and it mostly takes 
place in the subtropical moist 
forest life zone (57 percent of 
the hexagons) (see table and 
chart). It also breeds within the 
subtropical dry forest life zone 
(25 percent of the hexagons) and 
in the subtropical wet and lower 
montane wet forest life zones 
at higher elevations (19 percent 
of the hexagons) (see table 
and map).

## Conservation

The current population trend of the Mangrove Cuckoo is 
suspected to be stable due to the lack of evidence for any 
declines or threats, and it 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 
Mangrove Cuckoo has a 
protected habitat in land of 12 
percent or 911 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons 
where evidence of breeding 
was found for this species 
(7318 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_080_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_080_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.