Bird Watcher's Digest: Home Bird Watcher's Digest Magazine The Backyard Birds Newsletter The Bird Watcher's Digest App Bird Watcher's Digest Nature Shop

Bird Identification

Cuckoos & Roadrunners

Species Profiles
in

Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus L 12" (31cm)

Photo by Maslowski Wildlife Productions.

Listen to a black-billed cuckoo.

Generally more northern than the closely related yellow-billed, black-billeds can be found in deciduous woodlands where there are caterpillars. During outbreaks of tent caterpillars both species can be locally common. Like the other cuckoos, it has a slow, almost floppy flight as it moves from tree to tree. The black-billed is separated from the yellow-billed by its all-black bill, lack of rufous in the wings, and muted undertail pattern, which barely shows contrast between the gray and white spots. The common call is a long soft series of cu notes, all at the same speed and pitch.

This sound file requires RealPlayer. Bird song courtesy of Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio.

Wading Birds

SECTION FEATURES - FESTIVAL

You Might Like

Better Together: Identifying and Feeding Birds & Hummingbirds and Butterflies

Regularly $29.90, buy these two great books together for only $25! These readable, friendly guides are intended for bird watchers and non-bird watchers alike—for anyone who wants to enjoy nature right in his or her own backyard.

Buy now »

Hummingbirds of the Backyard DVD

Come along with Sheri Williamson, author of the Peterson Guide to Hummingbirds, on this fascinating video journey into the secret lives of North America's favorite birds. She'll introduce you to 13 species that nest in the U.S. and Canada and she'll show you how to attract them to your yard. Running time is approximately 50 minutes. Only $19.99 in our store!

Buy now »

Charley Harper Puzzle—Monteverde

This thoughtfully conceived and engagingly intricate 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle is sure to delight novice and veteran puzzle-workers and bird-watchers alike. An identification guide on the back of the box helps identify each of the species represented in this colorful and complex image. Only $17.95 in our store!

Buy now »