Credit: Henry T. McLin
North American field guide
Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
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Identification
Field notes
28-30 cm (11-12") Uncommon to fairly common. Wood edges, hedgerows, thickets, along streams.
Completely black downcurved bill; narrow red eye-ring; slim body is grayish brown above white below; long tail has indistinct white spots on dark underside.
Eats mostly caterpillars. Quite shy. Perches near tree trunks. Heard more than seen.
Song: deep rapid "cu-cu-cu" notes.
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Black Billed Cuckoo
Credit: Between the Earth and HumanityWhere it lives
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Source legend · original intervals
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Unshaded in source · does not imply absence