Mangrove Cuckoo - BirdForum Opus

Coccyzus minor

Photo by the late Jan Van den Broeck
Location: Mona - Jamaica

Identification

Grey upper head, brownish grey back and yellowish to golden-brown underside, lightest in the throat. Black mask from base of bill to behind the eye, yellow eyering. Feet and legs are black, slightly curved bill is black on upper and yellow on lower mandible. Upperside of tail is greyish, but the underside is striking with large white spots separated by smaller black markings.

Distribution

Found from Southern Florida to Northern Brazil both in Central America and in the Caribbean.

Taxonomy

Mangrove Cuckoo is a monotypic species¹.

Habitat

Forests and scrubby woodland, edge, and mangroves. Seems more limited to swampy habitat in the USA and Mexico and more of a generalist in the Caribbean.

Behaviour

The song is a dark laughter-like sound that initially is accelerating. Often slow moving and quite inconspicuous unless singing.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. BF member personal observations

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Mangrove Cuckoo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mangrove_Cuckoo

External Links

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