WILDLIFE QUESTION OF THE WEEK ANSWER
A group of cuckoos can be called an "asylum" or a "cooch" of cuckoos.
Yellow-billed cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus) live alone or in pairs in the breeding season. It is thought that they may be territorial. They are patient feeders, and will sit motionless on hidden perches, frequently with their shoulders hunched in order to disguise their white belly and chest while waiting for their prey to move.
Plumage is grayish-brown above and white below, with red primary flight feathers. The tail feathers are boldly patterned with black and white below. The legs are short and bluish-gray. Adults have a narrow, yellow eye ring. Juveniles resemble adults, except the tail patterning is less distinct, and the lower bill may have little or no yellow.
On the cuckoo’s feet, two toes point forward and two point backwards. Most other birds have three pointing forward and one back. Feathers make up almost half of the yellow-billed cuckoos body weight.
The yellow-billed cuckoo is a member of the avian family Cuculidae. Some ornithologists have separated the species into eastern and western subspecies, which is a controversial distinction. However, the listed western population is a distinct vertebrate population segment.
Related Links: FWS Species Information, animalia.bio,
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