- Coccycua cinerea
Identification
25cm.
- Brownish-grey upperparts
- Brown, ungraduated tail, rectrices with narrow white tips
- White underparts, buffy-grey throat and breast
- Red eye-ring, red eye
- Black bill
Sexes similar. Juveniles are washed rufous above with a brown tail with fine black bars near tip and no white tips. Their throat and breast are greyish white.
Distribution
South America: found from southern Brazil to northern Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and extreme south-eastern Peru.
Generally uncommon and little known.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
It has in the past been placed in genus Micrococcyx or in Coccyzus.
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats including chaco scrub, tropical forest, gallery forest, scrubby lowland and riverine forest. Occurs from lowlands up to 900m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects and their larvae.
Breeding
The nest is a flat oval patform made of sticks and leaves. It's placed in a bush or a tree. Lays 2 to 4 eggs.
Movements
Movements unknown. Suspected to be a seasonal austral migrant. The records from eastern Peru and possibly also from Colombia indicate possible migratory movements (or vagrancy).
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1997. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334221
- SACC proposal to place this species in genus Coccycua
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Ash-colored Cuckoo. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ash-colored_Cuckoo
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
