Cuculo occhirossi

Identificazione

Adults have a long, graduated brown tail and a black, slightly downcurved bill. The head and upper parts are brown and the underparts are white. The feet are zygodactylous. Juveniles are drabber and may contain some rufous coloration on the wing. The adults have a narrow, red orbital ring while the juveniles' is yellow. Black-billed cuckoo chicks have white, sparsely-distributed, sheath-like down that contrasts heavily with their black skin. They also have complex, creamy-colored structures on their mouth and tongue, which may appear like warts or some type of parasitic infection however they are normal for the species.

Tassonomia

The black-billed cuckoo was originally placed in the genus Cuculus. This genus comprises Old World cuckoos that are all obligate brood parasites. Upon further genetic testing, it was placed into the genus Coccyzus that comprises nine species of New World cuckoos. The black-billed and yellow-billed cuckoos are the only two that migrate into North America while the other seven are permanent residents of either Central or South America. Even though these two cuckoos overlap in range, they are not sister taxa. This suggests that the two species invaded North America separately. Although the family Cuculidae is monophyletic, the genus Coccyzus was found to be polyphyletic.

Nome scientifico

Coccyzus erythropthalmus

Autorità

(Wilson, A, 1811)

Ordine

Cuculiformi

Famiglia

Cuculidae

Genere

Coccyzus

Areale e habitat

C. erythropthalmus may be found in a variety of habitats. They are most commonly found around the edges of mature deciduous or mixed forests and much less frequently in coniferous forests. They can also be found in much younger-growth forests with a lot of shrubs and thickets. Wetlands with a lot of alder and willow are another prime location to see them. Lastly, they can also inhabit more open areas such as abandoned farmland, golf courses, and residential parks. Whatever the habitat may be, they are usually quite well hidden and tend to stick to the edges of these habitats. The chosen habitat must also have a water source nearby such as a lake, river, marsh, or pond. On their wintering grounds in South America, they can inhabit tropical rainforests, deciduous or semi open woodlands as well as scrub forests. When breeding, the species is distributed in wooded areas across much of the United States, east of the Rockies. Their range just barely extends into North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. They are not present to the south of those states when breeding. They can also be found in the southern regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Furthermore, they are also present in the maritime provinces of Prince Edward Island, eastern New Brunswick, and western Nova Scotia. When migrating in spring and fall, they can also be seen in southern United States as well as all of Central America. They migrate to northwestern South America in the fall, where they will spend the winter. Although they are mainly an eastern North American species, there have been confirmed reports of sighting in British Columbia, Washington, and California. The species is also a rare vagrant to western Europe and Greenland.

Areale riproduttivo

America settentrionale: Canada centro-meridionale e sudorientale e Stati Uniti centrali e orientali

Areale non riproduttivo

America meridionale nordoccidentale

Migrazione

Migratori completi

Comportamento

Comportamento migratorio: Migratori completi.

Conservazione

Tendenza della popolazione: in diminuzione.

Tendenza della popolazione

in diminuzione